Be my valentine
by sakuraakamichelle
Summary: Epilogue updated! Royal High is a school for the rich and the royalties. One day, poor Sakura ventured into the restaurant the Royal High students were in and was attacked. Luckily...
1. Chapter 1

This is a rather complicated story, which I will think will consists of many chapters

This is a rather complicated story, which I will think will consists of many chapters. Well. Just one thought to ponder on before continue reading. In Japan, normally High school students are about 15 while in my country, there is no such things as High School but we do have Junior college so I do not know so much about High School. Just take it that in Japan, High School students are about eighteen. Here goes.

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Be My Valentine

By Sakura aka Michelle

Chapter 1

edited

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Kinomoto Sakura quickened her footsteps because she knew that she was going to be late for her school. "I am going to be late!" She shouted and then added in a whisper, "Again."

It seemed like eternity before her high school came into her view and Sakura suddenly felt that something was amiss; the gates were locked! "What is going on now?"

Frustrated, she pushed her hair out of her face and leaned against the school wall while she thought about what to do next. Just then, a small kid ran forward to her and flashed her a grin before laughing out loudly, catching the attention of several passers-by.

"There is no school on Sunday!" The little boy explained and burst into laughter again, much to Sakura's annoyance, though her cheeks did turn pink.

"Thank you," Sakura mumbled and swiftly walked away, avoiding the curious glance of many people. "What luck."

The rumbling of her own stomach made her realize that she had missed her breakfast. She sighted a new fast-food restaurant nearby and decided to fill her stomach. The moment she entered the restaurant, the sight made her recoil and she suddenly had the urge to turn back; all the people in the place were all males and all of them were staring at her and were wearing the same uniform. Not the same as hers

"Royal High School." Sakura breathed out. Royal High was the school for the top scholars in the country, not to mention that these students must be rich. Picking up her courage, Sakura went to the counter to order food. "May I have a burger and a cup of water please?"

The person at the counter looked at Sakura worriedly and replied, "In a moment."

Meanwhile, Sakura felt that there was someone behind her but she ignored him, making the other guys in the restaurant unhappy. The food was handed to her on a tray and Sakura picked it up, noticing that another guy had came forward, striding towards her with a frightening expression on his face. Without saying anything, he snatched the cup of water from her tray and poured it all over her.

"That is for coming into our Royal High territory and for not respecting the crowned prince!" he said, almost shouting.

"Leiyunn." the man who was queuing behind Sakura warned.

"But Prince."

"She did not mean it."

Sakura looked at the man in front of her and then looked at the prince. Then she returned the tray to the counter and requested to take away and to have another cup of water. Without words, she empty the contents of the cup all over the prince, who remained still and silent.

"Syaoran!" Everyone in the place gasped, but the prince who was named Syaoran raised up his hand to keep the silence.

Silence filled the room and the tension was mounting. Sakura finally spoke up, "Tomoeda High students will not be intimidated so easily!"

She stomped out of the restaurant angrily but a hand grabbed hers and she was forced to stop. Thinking that it was Leiyunn, who had poured her drink all over her, she whirled back, ready to hurl insults at him. She was rather surprised when she saw Syaoran before her and was even more surprised when he handed her his handkerchief with a smile on his face. "You are soaking wet. Just take his as an apology," he explained. When Sakura did not react, he put his handkerchief into her palm and walked away, while wiping his face dry with the sleeves of his uniform.

Sakura stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by Syaoran's gentleness but she quickly shook away her thoughts and immediately fled the scene for fear that the gang might come out to hunt for her.

--

Murmuring could be heard among the people when Syaoran entered the restaurant. "It is really nothing. Just pretend that nothing has happened," he suggested and returned to his table.

Hiragizawa Eriol, his cousin, commented, "Seems like our Cinderella has left her things behind."

Syaoran raised a brow, "What are you mumbling about?"

Eriol shrugged and pointed to the counter, where Sakura has left her wallet behind. "See that? I suppose she will come back for it."

"I have a feeling that she will not," Syaoran interrupted and went to collect the wallet. "Enjoy yourselves; I will make a move first."

"Hey Syaoran!" Eriol called out. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

Eriol just sighed deeply before turning to his other friends and shouted, "The treat is on me. Just eat to your full!"

Grunts of approval as men hurriedly queue up to order expensive food.

--

Sakura muttered angrily to herself on her way home, "Why did I have to take his handkerchief? Why?"

She was so engrossed in chiding herself that she did not realized that she was already standing at her doorstep, holding the Prince's handkerchief in her hands and the most unlucky thing was that her brother, Kinomoto Touya, was staring at her intently. She immediately hid Syaoran's handkerchief behind her back and replaced the weird expression with a grin, pushing a strand of wet hair off her face.

"Why are you wet?" Touya asked, casting her a curious glance.

"It rained just now," Sakura replied almost instantaneously but realized that she had made a terrible mistake. It did not rained just now and Touya knew it because he was hanging the laundry.

Touya faked a cough and stretched out his hand, "Hand over the thing that you are hiding."

"Onii-chan." Sakura protested.

"I want to see it now."

"But I am already eighteen! Can't I have a bit of privacy?"

He hesitated but relented, "Fine. Whatever you say but don't get yourself into trouble."

Sakura pouted, "You are nagging."

"Can't help it," Touya answered and flashed her a devilish grin. "Especially when I have a kaijuu sister."

"Onii-chan!"

Just then, a black limousine came to a halt in front of the Kinomoto residence. Sakura gasped upon the crest on the door of the limousine as it was strangely familiar. Sakura took out the Prince's handkerchief and unfolded it. Her eyes widened upon seeing that the symbol on it was identical.

"What was going on?" Touya demanded.

A person came out from the limousine and walked towards Sakura with a parcel in his hands. He bowed to her and banded her the parcel, "The Prince believes that this belongs to you."

"You have met the prince?" Touya asked incredulously.

Sakura accepted the parcel with a frown and opened the parcel carefully. It was her wallet. "How did my wallet ended up with him?"

"His highness said to tell that he will be sending you to school tomorrow as an apology."

"Could you please tell him that I would much prefer to go to school on my own," Sakura said and entered the house, with Touya right behind her.

"How did you meet the Prince?" Touya asked his sister again.

Out of frustration, Sakura retorted, "Can you please ask me again some other time? I am thoroughly confused."

"Ok." Touya soothed. "Tell me when you are ready then. I won't force you to."

The next morning, Sakura wised that she was sick so that she could stay at home instead of facing the Prince. "Morning otou-san, onii-chan," Sakura greeted without energy.

"Morning Sakura-san," Fujitaka said and mildly asked. "What are the black limousines doing outside our house?"

"They are here already?" Sakura asked, clearly panicking. "Why can't they leave me alone?"

"Who are they?"

"The Royalties," Touya supplied.

"What do they want from us?"

Touya shrugged and urged Sakura to hurry up, "The Prince have been waiting for quite a long while. Better hurry up, kaijuu."

Sakura forced a smile and drank some milk. Fujitaka handed her her lunch box and Touya handed her bag to her. "I am off then."

"Be careful on you way to school," Fujitaka said once more.

"I will, otou-san. Ja ne," Sakura said and left the house.

Syaoran was out of his limousine the moment her spotted Sakura. Before he could say anything, Sakura returned the handkerchief to its rightful owner. "I am sorry about what happened yesterday."

"I wish to be left alone," Sakura interrupted rudely but then realized her manners. "Please?"

Syaoran hesitated and then sighed deeply. "I understand."

"I would appreciate it if you would stop looking for me; I don't wish to see you."

"I guess that is your right," Syaoran agreed with her and told her gently. "Just look out for your health, you don't look good."

"Excuse me Prince, I wish to go to school now. I am already late," Sakura said and left, leaving Syaoran staring after her.

Sakura walked briskly, angered by the limousine that was following behind her. She stopped suddenly and turned back to the chauffer, "Could you please leave me be?"

"I apologize, Miss Kinomoto. This is the Prince's order to make sure that you reach the school safely."

Sakura groaned aloud and stepped into the car, "If you insist, since I am already very late."

Miraculously, she was just in time for school. The chauffer alighted and hurriedly assisted Sakura out of the limousine. Students in the school crowd around the car, noticing that the Royal Crest on it. "It is the Royal limousine!" Someone shouted. "Where is the Prince?"

Sakura carefully wedged her way through the crowd until she was able to catch a normal breath. "What is wrong with these girls?"

"Hi Sakura-chan!" Daijouji Tomoyo, Sakura's best friend, greeted her cheerfully. "Why are you taking that Royal limousine to school? I saw it."

"Shh!" Sakura hushed and dragged Tomoyo to an isolated spot. "I met the Prince and a huge group of Royal High students in a nearby restaurant and." and she continued explaining.

"Oh! You were so courageous! Such a pity that I wasn't there to tape the whole scene."

"Tomoyo-chan!"

Tomoyo chuckled, "I was only joking."

The school bell rang and all the students hurried to their classroom and it was only then did Sakura realized that her classmates were looking at her with strange expressions.

--

Tadang That is all for chapter 1. Have you noticed that there is no prologue? Hee. Tell me what you think about this fanfiction please?

P.s. Thanks to altona for pointing out the grammar mistake in the first paragraph. I can't believe I didn't notice it for the past few years. In response to the kind review, I would like to highlight that the first few chapters were written years ago when I was much younger and naïve. So, I would like you to forgive me for not being realistic enough. However, I am very happy to receive that review from you. I will strive hard to improve on my fics. :) Thanks!

Sakura aka Michelle on May 2, 2008

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	2. Chapter 2

I am back with another chapter of Be My Valentine! Oh my. this is the most enjoyable chapter I have written. Happy reading!  
  
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Be My Valentine  
  
Chapter 2  
  
By Sakura aka Michelle  
  
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Sakura sat in her seat uncomfortably and looked over at Tomoyo with a confused expression. Tomoyo was her partner, who sat by her side. "What is wrong with them?"  
  
Tomoyo gave Sakura a pitiful smile and replied in a whisper, "I guess these girls likes the Prince. They are just jealous of you."  
  
"But I didn't do anything!" Sakura protested.  
  
Tomoyo wagged a finger at Sakura and winked, "Remember, they witnessed you coming to school in the Royal Limousine."  
  
Sakura pouted and remained silent, having lost her argument. "I didn't want to."  
  
The teacher came in and into and awkward situation. Every girl in the class was staring at Sakura in obvious contempt and not paying attention to the teacher. Minori-sensei faked a cough to get the class's attention. When she failed, Minori-sensei requested Sakura, "Er. Kinomto-san, would you like to explain yourself?"  
  
"Gladly." Sakura said and immediately stood up.  
  
"How did you meet him?" Kireirei asked, or rather, demanded.  
  
"He Was in the new restaurant just outside the school." Sakura confessed in a whisper and then added, "I advice you not to go there. Royal High students are nasty."  
  
None of the girls were listening to her as they were scheming together, wanting Sakura to humiliate herself in front of the prince, whom all the girls in the school admired. "Hey!"  
  
"Yes?" Sakura asked, and looked at Kireirei.  
  
"Would you mind inviting the prince ver to the school for the Nadeshiko festival concert this weekend? I am sure all the girls would like that since all of us are performing."  
  
"Perhaps. but I." Sakura started and yet again, she was interrupted.  
  
"I guess it is a yes to you, Kinomoto-san," Kireirei said. "Minori- sensei, you may begin your lesson now."  
  
This was so abrupt that Minori-sensei had to take some time to realize that the discussion was over. She looked over at Sakura, who was hiding her displeasure with a smile.  
  
"Today, we are going to." Minori-sensei and thus, a boring day has began for Sakura.  
  
=What should I do?= Sakura thought anxiously.  
  
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Just after the dismissal bell, Kireirei approached Sakura and said, "I wish to go with you to meet the prince."  
  
"Perhaps another day," Sakura said and was about to leave when Kireirei demanded, "I want you to bring me there now, or I will tell the whole school that you are hanging out with the prince!"  
  
Sakura groaned and returned to Kireirei's side, "Just let me off this once."  
  
Kireirei smiled, pleased with herself and swept her silky black curls off her shoulders. "Let's go!"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, let's go now. I will be late for my tuition class f this is delayed," Sakura urged Tomoyo, who was still busy packing up her bag.  
  
"How does he look like?" Kireirei asked and Sakura answered honestly.  
  
"Above average but he might not be there today."  
  
"I am ready, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo called out.  
  
The trio exited the school compound and was surprised to see such a large crowd gathering just outside the school. A person squeezed out of the crowd and Sakura immediately identified him as the chauffeur of the Royal limousine. "Kinomoto-sama, the prince is waiting for you in the limousine."  
  
"Can my friends go too?"  
  
"Oh. I am afraid not. The prince specifically told me to bring you."  
  
"I am sorry Kireirei-san, Tomoyo-chan. I promise I will introduce you to him." Sakura said and followed the chauffeur.  
  
By this time, bodyguards dressed in black filed on he two sides of the limousine, forcing the crowd back and allowing Sakura to get onto the car. Sakura suddenly realized the situation she was in, with everybody witnessing this scene. She knew that there would bound to be trouble the next day in school.  
  
Sakura was about to open the door when a bodyguard intercepted her and do the job for her. "Thank you." Sakura told him and got into the limousine with ease.  
  
"Konichiwa," Syaoran greeted with a smile directed at Sakura.  
  
Sakura looked away and whispered, "Konichiwa. I have a request for you, Prince."  
  
"Oh? Let's hear it," Syaoran said and added. "And my name is Syaoran, not Prince."  
  
"I am just a common girl, Prince. Please do not bestow me the priveledge of calling you by your name; I don't deserve it." Sakura said plainly and looked uot of the limousine, refusing to look at Syaoran's hurt expression.  
  
Strong hand gently grip her chin and forced her to look at Syaoran, "There is nothing ordinary or common about you. I just like the way you are now."  
  
Syaoran suddenly leaned towards Sakura and Sakura suddenly realized with horror that he was going to kiss her. Panicking, Sakura pushed away from him and scooted to the far end of the limousine, putting a distance between them and she stuttered, "Er. I was asking if you. you would like to come to the Nadeshiko festival. Oh! I forgot that Royal High students rarely mingle with students from other schools and I."  
  
Syaoran's chuckl caught her off guard, "Relax. It's not that I am going to eat you."  
  
"Will you go?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh. I will be there if you want me to."  
  
"Kireirei-san wanted to meet you. So she asked me to invite you."  
  
"Kireirei?" Syaoran gaped and then started laughing.  
  
Puzzled, Sakura asked him, "Why are you laughing? She's serious about this."  
  
"That devilish girl." Syaoran said and shook his head.  
  
"Do you know her?" Sakura asked, bewildered and she unintentionally leaned towards him.  
  
Before Syaoran could answer, the limousine suddenly swerved sharply to the right and the chauffeur shouted, "Brace yourselves! The car in front is going to crash into us!"  
  
Sakura was thrown against Syaoran from the impact and he clutched her to him, ensuring her safety. There was nothing that could be done to avoid the crash. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut while Syaoran opened the door jumped out, pulling Sakura along with him. Both of them landed on a large patch of grass and rolled to a halt, with Sakura held protectively in Syaoran's arms.  
  
Groaning, Syaoran sat up and shook his head to clear the dizziness. Bodyguards came running towards him, asking for his safety. "I am all right. What happened?"  
  
"Sir, a car deliberately charged at our limousine. The chauffeur managed to get out of the limousine before it exploded. Is that lady all right?"  
  
"Sakura?" Syaoran shook her but got no respond from her. "Don't frighten me."  
  
A trail of blood was visible on her forehead and it was a deep one. Fearing that Sakura might have a concussion, Syaoran quickly ordered his men to bring hem to the hospital to see to Sakura's medical needs.  
  
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Heehee. how's this chapter? Actually, I wanted to type more but hey, I am already very tired right now at this moment. I promise that the next chapter would be a bit longer than usual. Zz.zzz....ZZzz 


	3. Chapter 3

**26 February 2004**

**Be My Valentine**

Chapter 3 

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**----------------------------------------------------------------**

            They were on their way to the hospital. With each passing second, Syaoran was getting more and more irritated at the speed they were going; they were going far too slowly to suit him. He looked down at Sakura ( who was currently in his arms =] ) and let out a frustrated sigh. _She's injured and there is nothing I can do to help her! This is so irritating!_ "Can you drive faster?!" he shouted to his poor driver, who cringed in response.

            "But your highness, we are going at an extremely fast speed and there is no way I can speed up without endangering our lives..."

            Sakura groaned aloud and her eyelids fluttered open then closed again. She could not seem to focus her vision but she was aware that she was in someone's arms and that they were traveling in a car. "Where are you taking me to?" she croaked out and grimaced at the ugly sound she had made.

            "You are hurt... No! Don't move yet," Syaoran panicked when Sakura tried to shift her position, which might jar her injuries and cause her more pain. "You are in a bad shape and I am going to bring you to the hospital."

            Her eyes shot wide open at the mere mention of hospital and immediate lurched right up into a sitting position. "I am not going to the hospital!" Sakura pleaded. "Please don't bring me to the hospital!"

            Being careful of her injuries, Syaoran held her firmly by her shoulders, "I need to confirm that you are going to be all right and your wound needs stitches. Don't argue with me; we are going to the hospital."

            Sakura looked devastated and her head began to throb rhythmatically and her upper left thigh hurt terribly. Only when she took a look did she realize that her thigh had a huge and awful gash, which seemed to be swollen at the moment. Disgusted, she turned her face away and the swift action brought more pain to her head and she groaned again. "My head hurts," she complained and brought a smile to Syaoran's lips. "And I don't want to go to the hospital... My okaa-san died there and the doctors didn't do anything to help her... I am scared..."

            Obviously Sakura could not understand what she was mumbling about in her haze of pain but Syaoran could. The smile was wiped off from his face now and he frowned in deep thought. _To go, or not to go?_ He sat in silence while he made his decision. Then, he swiftly ordered his chauffeur to bring them to his mansion and to send for their family doctor as soon as possible. 

            "Hurry, we don't have much time to lose," Syaoran fairly shouted and the chauffeur flinched. 

            "Yes, your highness."

            Syaoran shifted Sakura to fit her more snugly to his frame and that was when his hand came into contact with her injured thigh and she groaned and tried to squirm away. He looked so astonished and his hand lifted away as if her thigh was hot flame. More blood stained his palm and he broke out in cold sweat; _where else was she hurt?_

            Syaoran paced in outside the corridor to his closed room. He did not have enough time to give a notice to his staffs to prepare a room and so, he deposited Sakura in his room and his family doctor was examining her at the moment. He almost chuckled at the sight of his stunned staffs when he ran into the mansion with Sakura in his arms but he had more important issues to see to, so he quickly blocked them out. He had yelled for the doctor when he wasn't in his room and dashed all the way down to drag the old and frail man up the stairs. 

            "Do slow down, your highness," the doctor had said. "I believe you would crack my bones."

            Syaoran turned back to glare at the doctor into submission, "Shut your mouth up and hurry! The patient won't wait for you; she will most likely bleed to death before..." He stopped and realized with horror that it might be true. _She might bleed to death before the doctor reaches her... NO!!_ With newfound strength, he pulled the doctor in his wake into his room, where Sakura was lying ghostly pale and bleeding. The doctor had the gall to throw Syaoran out of his room and barred him from entering until his administrations were over. 

            It was an hour later when the door to his room was finally opened and the doctor came out. Syaoran waited for him to regain his composure and to wipe the sweat off his face before bombarding him with questions.

            "How's Sakura?" Syaoran asked worriedly, his eyes peering into his room. "Dr. Hajime?"

            Hajime gulped and tried to answer him audibly, in truth, he was afraid of the prince, "Er... She has lost a lot of blood and er... She needs lots of rest to regain her strength back."

            Syaoran heaved a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear."

            "But... Her cuts were stained with dirt and she's having infections. She'll be having fever and the next few days will be crucial," Hajime paused to steady himself. "You should have sent her to the hospital immediately. The infections are bad but I have already treated it. So..."

            Syaoran cursed loud enough for the whole country to hear and then dismissed the frightened Hajime before storming into the room with dread. _This should not have happened to her! If I did not ask her out... It's all my fault!_ He sat down on the bed beside Sakura and stared at her lovely face; her forehead was bandaged but nevertheless, she was still breathtaking to look at. He felt that his heart was being torn apart, knowing that it was due to him that landed her in this state. He brushed her fringe away from her forehead tenderly and wiped away the sweat that was forming due to her fever. He sincerely hoped that her fever would be gone soon and he would do whatever he could to compensate for her condition.

            All of her sudden, Sakura began thrashing about in the bed, almost throwing Syaoran off. He regained his balance a second later and stared at Sakura in astonishment.

            "Okaa-san, don't go away... Sakura needs you... Otou-san, why won't okaa-san open her eyes?" Sakura mumbled and tossed about in the bed. 

            Just when he was about to wake Sakura up from her nightmare, she stopped moving and began sobbing. "Who are you? Why did you keep calling me? Don't follow me! No!!"

            Syaoran froze. _Who was pestering her? _His blood started to boil and he silently promised to make life difficult for the person. Sighing, he went to the bedside again and grabbed hold of Sakura's shoulders and shook her awake. "It's just a dream, Sakura," he murmured soothingly. "I'll protect you."

            "Hon... Honto ne?" Sakura asked sleepily and Syaoran could see that she was still asleep.

            He grinned, "Yes, Sakura. I will protect you."

            Sakura smiled in her sleep and murmured softly before falling into a deep sleep, "Thank you..."

            Syaoran released her shoulders and straightened up, the smile still on his face. _She'll be all right, I guess. _Just then, a knock sounded on the door and Syaoran admitted the person. The person revealed to be Wei, his butler. "Sir, there is a visitor waiting for you in the hearing room. It is utmost important."

            "I will be there in the moment. Serve them some drinks while I settle some other things here," he said and shut the door firmly. He turned to look at Sakura and whispered an apology for having to leave her alone for the time being. He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before leaving the room and posted a guard to guard his room. 

            "Make sure no one enters the room without my permission," he told the guard fiercely. "Not even my mother or my sisters. Understand?"

            "Perfectly, your highness," the guard replied with a bow.

            "Good," Syaoran said and strode to the hearing room, where Wei had said his guest was. 

            "Great," he muttered. "Wait till I lay my hand on that stalker..."

------------------------------------------------------- Like it or not? Do send in your reviews and your comments. Thanks a lot! Love u all~ 

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	4. Chapter 4

**_July 6, 2004_ **

****

**Be My Valentine **

**Chapter 4**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**--------------------------------------**

"What brings you here, cousin?" Syaoran asked his guest as he sat down comfortably on the couch directly opposite her. "You seldom visit here, from what I have remembered thus far. Well, unless there is some big problem that you cannot handle and that was three years ago."

Kireirei laughed, "I just cannot stand the tension in this mansion and besides, I really wanted to be like an ordinary teenage girl with no worries of being forced into a marriage and stuffs like that."

"Back to the question: What brings you here today?" Syaoran asked again, noting the strange expression that hung on his cousin's face. "Straight to the point please."

Kireirei remained quiet for a few more moments, as if she was trying to phrase her words correctly before speaking, and Syaoran let her take her time for he knew that what was troubling her was might very well linked to him from past experiences.

"I... I overheard something today after school that concerns you," Kireirei started and frowned at the chuckling Syaoran. "Excuse me, may I know what is so funny that you actually interrupted my important speech?"

"I didn't know that I was _that_ popular in your school. I thought only students from _my_ school goes haywire over me," he admitted with a smile that infuriated Kireirei.

Kireirei suddenly stood up from her couch and pointed a finger at Syaoran angrily, "I am very serious over here and there you are, making fun of my concerns and enjoying yourself!"

Syaoran raised both hands up in the air in mock surrender, "Gomen, gomen. So, what are your concerns this time round? I remember the last time you came here because you lost your favourite puppy."

"It's about you and your _lady-love_," Kireirei spat out angrily. "Someone in our school planned to make you her own and thus, that person will be trying to eliminate Sakura to get her ways."

This got Syaoran's fullest attention. "Your meaning?"

Kireirei stomped her foot in frustration, "You never used to be so dense! Obviously someone wants you bad enough to kill Sakura! I overheard this conversation in the locker room after school today! So what are you going to do about it?"

Syaoran stood up suddenly, surprising Kireirei out of her wits. _He must have thought that I am lying to him! I didn't! I told him the truth and so, it is now his problem if he does not believe it._ She watched as he walked to the windows to look outside and remained silent all the while. "Do you know who they are?" he asked, his normal voice sounding extremely loud in the silent room. "Did you, by any chance, get to see their faces?"

Kireirei shook her head sadly, "I wished I did but by the time I get close enough, they left the changing room. I only heard their voices though. However, I did not recognize any of them but I believe I will notice if I get to hear the person again. So what are you going to do about it?"

He looked back at her, his intense amber eyes boring into her as if she was not even there, "We'll wait, until the cat is out of the bag."

Kireirei got ready to leave, since the discussion was almost over with Syaoran making a decision for themselves and that there was nothing left for her to do. Just when she was about to leave the room, she noticed a cut on Syaoran's forehead. "What happened to you? Where did you get that cut?" She asked, turning towards him to get a clear look at the cut. "Luckily it is not deep but you better clean the wound to prevent infection."

Syaoran fingered the cut on his forehead, wincing when he touched the sore spot. "Must have gotten it when the accident happened."

"Accident?" Kireirei's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean you have had an accident? Are you all right? I mean, you are not injured anywhere else are you?"

Flopping down onto the couch again, he replied, his voice filled with remorse, "Yea, the accident was not accidental. Someone plotted it and luckily I manage to get both me and Sakura out before the car crashed but we took quite a landing. Sakura is in a critical condition now because of my selfish need to have her around me..."

"That sounds dangerous to me," Kireirei admitted. "But you shouldn't blame yourself because some things are just beyond your reach and prediction. I am sure Sakura will not blame you for this mishap."

"Let's just hope so," Syaoran replied gratefully.

"I'll take my leave then," Kireirei said as she left the room. "Don't think too much today; get some rest. You looked weary."

Syaoran remained where he was for a few more minutes to compose himself before going back to take a look at Sakura. _If I didn't call her out, this wouldn't happen at all. I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to her..._

Choking sounds could be heard from outside the closed doors and the guard he posted was nowhere to be found. Alarmed, Syaoran rushed into the room and froze upon the scene that was presented. Doctor Hajime was trying to force some drink into Sakura while the guard was standing guard by the Hajime's side.

"What are you doing? Trying to choke her to her death?" Syaoran roared and Hajime, as well as the guard, jumped a foot into the air, frightened out of their wits for they did not notice that Syaoran was in the room.

"Beg your pardon, your highness," Hajime replied when he had regained his composure. "I was trying to get the patient to drink a cup of water so that dehydration is prevented. This is the only way to get the patient to drink."

"Out! The both of you," Syaoran roared.

"But your highness," Hajime protested. "The drink..."

"I'll take over," he confirmed. "_Leave!_"

"Yes, your highness," Hajime handed him the glass and fled from the scene.

Syaoran turned to lock the door before proceeding to Sakura. Lifting her up into a sitting position using his arm as an anchorage for her, he began tilting the glass of water to her lips but it took so long for her to finish the drink with the constant choking and he had no choice but to feed her himself.

Setting the glass down on the small table beside the bed, Syaoran leaned against the headboard of the bed and took Sakura onto his lap, with his right arm supporting her. He then sipped a mouthful of water from the glass and fed it to Sakura, mouth to mouth and surprisingly, she did not choke as much and drank much more water than just letting her drink from the glass. Blushing furiously when the deed was done, he placed her gently back onto the bed and tucked her under the covers.

**_Phew Finally got this chapter done... Sorry about the delay due to my examinations. I hope to update at a much faster rate now that my exams are almost over... R&R please!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_February 26, 2005_

**Be My Valentine**  
**Chapter 5  
By Sakura aka Michelle**

All she saw was a green ceiling and she almost fainted dead again when she realized she was in an unfamiliar room. _Where am I? _She thought as her panic mounted. Sitting up on the bed she was currently on, she looked around the room and came to a conclusion; whoever the owner of this room was, that person definitely love green. Her head started pounding then and her left leg throbbed. The pain was almost unbearable for her.

The door creaked open slowly and bright lights poured into the room, blinding her momentarily. She tried to block out the light by covering her eyes with her hand so that she could see who entered the room. The person seemed surprised to see her awake for he was so stunned that he froze on the spot.

"You are finally awake," he spoke up. "You have been sleeping for a day and have all of us here quite worried about you."

"Why am I here?" She blurted out the first question that flashed through her mind. "And why am I here?"

He switched on the lights in the room and shut the door quietly before turning to look at her. "First things first; what's your name?"

"I wonder if it is you who have lost or memory, Prince Li," Sakura remarked dryly. "I am Sakura... Where am I?"

Sakura watched as Syaoran poured a glass of water from the small table beside the bed. "Here… Take this; you must be thirsty."

"Thank you," Sakura accepted with a smile and a slight blush and gulped down the contents of the glass. "I say this room is pretty green..."

"It is my favourite colour," Syaoran replied as he flopped down into a green couch a meter away from the bed.

"I prefer pink but anyway, green is not a bad choice of colour too!" Sakura said and continued drinking.

Syaoran shifted uncomfortably in the couch, "Er… What I am trying to say is that this is my room."

The effect was immediate; Sakura chocked on her drink and started sputtering. "What? I am in your room? How did I come here? Then… then…Uh… I am sorry for troubling you! I… I… I don't know what else to say…"

"I brought you here in the first place so don't you apologize; you did nothing wrong anyway," he chuckled. "More water for you?"

Sakura blushed and shook her head frantically, "I can do it myself..." She swung her legs to the edge of the bed and winced when a wave of pain hit her.

Syaoran sighed as he took the glass from Sakura and placed it on the table. "I should have warned you against such movements; your injured leg is not able to handle these actions yet. Stay still and rest, will you?"

"But the festival…" Sakura protested.

"It has already been postponed," Syaoran answered and urged Sakura to lie still on the bed to rest.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted it to," he answered simply. "I know you have an important performance at the festival but you cannot perform in your current condition. I had it postponed..."

Sakura looked ready to burst into tears and Syaoran found himself tensing slightly. "Is there anything wrong? Are you not feeling well somewhere?"

"What… what about the public? What will the residents of Tomoeda think? They have been waiting for this festival for a long while! How can you do this to them?" Sakura asked. "How could you?"

Putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her, he told her, "I have already explained to them about your condition and the organizers have came to the decision to postpone this festival until you are able to perform. The festival is only delayed for about one week, just enough for you to recover. They will understand, Sakura. The most important part of the festival is the performance and they want it to be perfect. You have been practicing for such a long time, surely you would want to perform?"

"But..." Sakura protested once again.

"No buts," he interrupted. "In order to postpone this festival, the organizers wanted something in return so that the people would be appeased and surely, the public is looking forward to the performance than before."

"I don't understand," Sakura murmured, looking at Syaoran doubtfully. "What did the organizers asked in return?"

"You will know when the time comes," Syaoran answered. "I will have someone to bring up food for you; you must be very hungry now."

Sakura shook her head, thinking that she had troubled Syaoran so much, "I am not hungry... Would you be so kind to bring me a phone? I would like to ask my brother to pick me up."

"You are staying here," Syaoran pointed out. "Actually, I have already contacted your family and gained their permission regarding this, although there were some problems getting through the younger one..."

"That must be my brother. He's always so protective over me," Sakura explained. "I apologize on his behalf if he has said any rude things to you."

Syaoran nodded, "He certainly is overprotective over you but isn't that good? I mean, to have someone who treats you this way?"

"He is the best," Sakura agreed. "I love my brother... I mean, he has been my moral support since my mother's death and my father is busy trying to support the family and cope with the emotional loss..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right; I have already gotten over the loss long time ago," Sakura told him with a grave smile.

Sakura watched dumbly as Syaoran neared her side. She jerked backwards when his hand brushed against her cheek and looked up at him. "Then... why the tears?"

She did not realize that she was crying until he mentioned it. Blushing madly, she wiped away the tears with the back of the hands frantically. "I… I am sorry! I…"

A green handkerchief appeared in her line of vision and as she was about to accept it with thanks, but his actions were quicker for he gently wiped the tears for her. "Don't cry... Everything is going to be all right. You are going to be safe here..."

"I wish to go home," Sakura said brokenly. "I am sorry for sounding like a small child but I do not wish to worry my family. They are all that I have left..."

"I understand how you feel," Syaoran said with a sigh. "But you need to be properly taken care for during this period of time if you want to speed up your recovery."

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Syaoran went to answer it. "Li-sama, you requested for this."

"Thank you," he took the tray of food into the room and was about to shut the door when the servant asked, "Is the lady all right now?"

Syaoran smiled and looked at Sakura before replying, "Yes, she will be fine. She just woke up a few moments ago. Help me to spread this news."

"Yes sir!" The servant replied enthusiastically and scurried off with the piece of good news.

"Why does she seem so happy?" Sakura asked curiously as she stared at the tray of food placed on her lap.

"This is the first time I brought a lady home. Naturally, they will be very interested about this whole issue."

"Oh…" Sakura replied dumbly for she has nothing else to say and she started munching on her food. "Delicious! I didn't know I was that hungry."

"So everything is settled," Syaoran said, standing to leave the room. "You will stay here until you are fit to move on your own without assistance. I have a meeting to attend to. If you need anything, just ask the guard standing outside. He should be able to hear your call."

"Please wait…" Sakura called out but Syaoran was already gone.

**So how was this chapter? Hope you have enjoyed it. Do review**


	6. Chapter 6

_November 23, 2006_

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 6**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

It has been one week since the accident happened that landed her in Syaoran's mansion, not to mention his own room. Sakura was bored to death with nothing to do except to lie on the bed, waiting for the time to pass and her heavily bandaged thigh to heal. Speaking of her wounds, it has almost healed perfectly, just that it still hurts for her to walk and she did not want to accidentally reopen her wounds again.

Presently, Sakura was lying on the bed and staring dumbly at the green ceiling of Syaoran's room. She turned her head to read the time on the small clock, which was on the small cupboard by the side of the bed and sighed deeply when she found out that it was only noon. _I have been staring at the ceiling for ages and it's only noon? Why is it that the time passes that slowly?_ With that, she sighed again, wishing that the wounds on her leg would just heal quickly so that she could walk around without having to be stuck in this room from dawn to dusk.

There was a knock on the door and Sakura's heartbeat escalated and she tried to sit up on the bed, pushing herself up into a sitting position with the help of only her hands. The door opened and a maid stepped in with a tray of delicious food in her hands. Her heart sank when she saw that it was not Syaoran, who had not stopped to visit her since yesterday night. The maid placed the tray on the small cupboard on the side of the bed and proceeded to hand the plate of food to Sakura, who took it with a smile and the maid exited the room to do her errands.

She finished her plate of food in no time and gulped down the contents in the glass, which consisted of fruit punch. Then, she laid back on the bed and frowned at the ceiling and let the boredom overtook her. _My injuries should have healed by now and I am sick and tired of being stuck in this room for one whole week…_

Sakura made her decision and sat upright on the bed, staring at her bandaged right thigh for long moments before swinging both legs to the edge of the bed as she tried to get up on her own this time. She held onto the cupboard for support as she pushed herself up and smiled when she succeeded unexpectedly.

Taking a few small unsteady steps, Sakura stumbled accidentally and was about to fall but her quick reflexes enabled her to held on onto the wall to steady herself and she breathed out a sigh of relief. "I better stay close to the walls," Sakura muttered to herself and continued her tedious walk to the door.

Nobody was standing guard outside the room anymore and this surprised Sakura very much. Syaoran would not leave the room until he was sure that there would be someone to stand guard outside his room, where Sakura was currently occupying. _Probably Syaoran thinks the guards are not necessary anymore since the mansion is already heavily guarded…_

One of the maids nearby gasped in surprised when she saw Sakura walking around outside Syaoran's room and quickly ran up to her and asked worriedly, "Is anything wrong, Miss Kinomoto? You are not supposed to be out of the room on your own so soon."

Sakura smiled and waved her off, "I am perfectly fine. I need some fresh air after been cooped up in the room for too long. I'll be back in the room before anyone finds out that I am missing and wondering around in the mansion."

"But…" The maid hesitated. "The doctor advised that Miss Kinomoto should rest in the room for two weeks. The wound seems bad enough to me."

"Thank you so much for your concern," Sakura said and then assured the maid. "I will be fine on my own. My injuries don't hurt anymore. I will be back as soon as I am done."

"If you say so, Miss Kinomoto," the maid replied reluctantly and watched as Sakura made her slow journey away from the room.

* * *

Sakura was awed by every little thing within the Prince's mansion and she complimented herself on making the right decision to take a walk around the mansion. The Prince's mansion was sure big and Sakura thought that she might get herself lost within the mansion and thus she was sure to know which way she took.

She found the living room of the big mansion. It was beautifully decorated with various large paintings and portraits hanging on the high walls. In addition, there were pretty flowers in every corners of the room. Sakura found herself relaxing in one of the sofa in the living room and she let out a contented little sigh.

Sakura noticed that no one has entered the living room ever since she stepped in here. She was all alone in the big living room. Feeling sleepy out of a sudden, she stretched out on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest for a while, thinking about Syaoran while doing so. Eventually, she fell asleep...

When Sakura next awoke, she found herself in Syaoran's arms and she blushed immediately at their closeness. She dare not move or make a noise and savoured the precious moment in the prince's strong arms. However, Syaoran noticed that she was awake and looked at her disapprovingly. Sakura raised her brow in confusion at the expression on Syaoran's face. She was about to ask him when he told her, in an almost angry tone, "You are supposed to stay in your room until the doctor says that you are fit to move around freely, remember?"

"I remember what the doctor told me," Sakura replied and then continued to protest. "But I was bored and lonely in the room with nothing to do. I was just walking around the mansion and took a little rest in the living room and nothing more."

Syaoran sighed at her reply and entered his room swiftly without any problems. He put Sakura onto the bed and sat down beside her. "I know you are bored and that you will try to get out of the room, that's why I didn't post any guards outside the room. The doctor will come again tomorrow and we'll let him decide whether or not you are able to walk around normally."

Sakura pouted and nodded her head. Syaoran just smiled and reach for his bag, which he had deposited on the floor beside the cupboard when he had came into the room earlier to look for Sakura only to find her gone. He took out some books and passed it to Sakura, who took it into her hands curiously. Her eyes bulged when she saw what they were.

"My school books!" She exclaimed as she flipped through the pages and found many markings made on the pages. "How did you get them?"

"Daijouji-san made the notes while Kireirei passed it to me," Syaoran replied with a wink and Sakura blushed in response. The two of them had gotten much closer within the one week of Sakura's stay.

"Th-Thank you so much," Sakura stuttered and looked down at her books. Then, she saw a small booklet with the title _The Sleeping Beauty_ on it and realized that it was the script for the play that their school was going to present at the Nadeshiko festival concert. _Wasn't it supposed to be Cinderella? Why the change? I must ask Tomoyo-chan when I see her since she's the one in charge of coming up with the script…_

"The concert will be taking place in three days' time," Syaoran said as he picked up the script from Sakura's hands and flipped through the pages. "There are many changes being made and Daijouji-san expects you to memorize the script by then. There is not much time for any rehearsal and they had to cope without having you around. Hence the change in the play. This is the best that they could do in the shortest amount of time."

"Oh... Thank you," Sakura replied shyly.

"There are changes to the characters too," Syaoran added, pointing to the names in the script. "You are now the lead character instead of just a servant."

Sakura bolted upright in alarm, "What? I am not up to the role! Let me speak to Tomoyo-chan! I'm sure that there must be some mistakes!"

"Calm down. There is no mistake in the script and the arrangements of the play. Just concentrate on memorizing your lines and you will do fine. I have faith in you," Syaoran assured and Sakura seemed to relax a little.

"If you say so," she finally said and Syaoran left her in the room to memorize her own script and pondering on her own thoughts.

_I am going to be the princess? There MUST be some mistake! Tomoyo knows that I have stage fright and still put me as the lead character? Then… who will be the prince?_ Sakura flipped through the pages and leisurely read a scene and almost fainted then. _Oh dear! A kissing scene?_

* * *

**I am so sorry for the long delay! I was busy at work and studying part-time. So, how's this chappie? Review please **


	7. Chapter 7

_May 4, 2007_

**Be My Valentine **

**Chapter 7**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**edited**

* * *

Syaoran returned back to his room the next day with a tray of food in his hands. He had intercepted the maid in charge of bringing meals to Sakura for the time being. She was leaning against the headboard on the bed and frowning at the script in her hands. He would not be surprised if the script was burning up in the next few moments if she continue staring at it with such an intensity that she did not even notice his presence in the room.

Syaoran deliberately cleared his throat and startled Sakura so badly that the script slipped from her hands and dropped onto the carpeted floor with a soft thud. "You gave me a scare!" Sakura exclaimed immediately as she bent down to retrieve the script, ignoring the slight protest that her left thigh had given her at her action.

"Who else could it be but me?" Syaoran retorted jokingly as he set down the tray of food on the small cupboard beside the bed. "I brought breakfast for you. Dr. Hajime is already here. He'll be examining you once you have finished your breakfast. I believe you will be up and running about after the little examination later on."

Sakura smiled at the comment and grabbed the plate of food consisting of sandwiches before Syaoran could reach it and munched dreamily. "Of course! I've been cooped up for so long after all. Anyway, I have to practice for the upcoming play. I really wish to go for the rehearsal…"

Heaving a little sigh, Sakura continued munching on her breakfast, pausing only to sip her glass of milk that Syaoran had brought along as well. She felt replenished after that and began to do some stretching exercises and telling Syaoran that her body felt so stiff after a few full days of resting. Syaoran knew that Sakura was nervous about the concert play. He took the script from Sakura's bed and flipped through the pages, nodding his head several times while reading. Sakura looked on curiously, wondering what he was doing.

"I'll practice the play with you later on," Syaoran said after scanning through the whole script. "We'll do without the scripts in our hands."

"You memorized the whole script in such a short time?" Sakura exclaimed, totally impressed by this feat. "I took one full day and yet still make some mistakes here and there!"

Chuckling, Syaoran put the script on the small cupboard by the bed and helped Sakura to remove the tray from the room and returning with Hajime, who looked quite cheerful upon seeing the progress that Sakura had made. He began his task of examining his gorgeous patient and then stepped back at last with an approving smile on his face. Syaoran was waiting patiently on the other side of the bed that was facing the window, an anxious frown marring his forehead.

"How is she now?" Syaoran asked as Hajime kept his tools back into his large black briefcase. "Is she fit enough to be walking or even running around?"

Hajime laughed and nodded his head. "She can even climb up to the top of Mount Fuji if she wants it," he replied cheerfully. "She's perfectly all right now and it will take a few more days at least before the leg is totally healed. Meanwhile, she may resume her normal activities but make sure that the bandaged is changed frequently with fresh ones if possible."

"Thank you, Dr. Hajime!" Sakura almost jumped out of the bed and hugged the blushing doctor if Syaoran had not restrained her. "Thank you so much for all that you have done for me," she added and leaned back against the headboard, a big smile plastered on her face as she watched Syaoran lead Hajime out of the room.

When he turned around, Sakura was already down from the bed and pacing around the room with unsteady steps, her arms flailing around her to help her to maintain her balance. Syaoran leaned against the wall beside the door and watched her, fascinated by her cheerfulness, and gaiety, and he could not help but also marveled at her determination. In a few minutes' time, she was walking normally without having to hold out her arms to maintain her balance. She smiled at Syaoran as she approached him and Syaoran's heart skipped a bit at the beautiful sight she created in his own room. He wondered why she could look so gorgeous in that plain yellow knee length dress that she was wearing at the moment.

"Prince Li?" Sakura asked questioningly, her face only inches away from Syaoran. "Are you feeling alright? You do not seem to look quite alright to me right now…"

Without thinking, Syaoran lifted her left hand and pressed a gentle kiss onto her palm, causing her to blush as red as a ripe tomato. "Call me Syaoran," he told her and when she opened her mouth to protest, he deftly put a single finger onto her lips, silencing her immediately. "I insist."

Sakura blushed and hastily jerked her hand away from him. "It seems inappropriate for me to do that!" She exclaimed as she took a few steps back to put a safe distance between them. "What would people think if we were to be on first name basis?"

"Let them think whatever they want to think, Sakura," Syaoran said with a loud sigh. "I don't care about what they think. I just want you to know how _I_ feel about you."

Sakura shook her head violently, "I can't do this! I won't become the object of the public scorn. It is already terrible enough to feel the _force_ from the female students in my school. I dare not think of what will happen if the public was to know about this! I won't do this!"

"Listen to me," Syaoran pleaded, gripping her shoulders firmly and sending warm tingles down her body. "They will understand but they'll need some time to do that. We can show them that we are a well-match or whatever you want to call that."

Her mind was reeling and she was unable to think clearly in this bizarre situation. The prince was actually wooing her and he made it sure he would not hide this fact from the public and would definitely and daringly woo her in the public but what could she do? "I… I need some time to think," she said, pushing away from Syaoran once again. "I want to go home," she said brokenly.

Syaoran was shocked by her request and was at a loss for what to do. "But you are just recovering and shouldn't be moving about too much," he told her. "And who will take care of you when you are home?"

"My father and brother will be there for me," she replied plainly. "I'll be fine with them. Besides, I will feel more comfortable in my own home rather than intruding here."

"If that is what you really wish for, I guess I wouldn't be able to change your mind about it," Syaoran remarked good-naturedly. "I'll arrange for you to go home in half-an-hour's time if it suits you."

At Sakura's nod, he left the room for preparations, leaving Sakura alone in his room, pondering about how she should answer the prince. Should she accept his offer and become the enemy of all eligible females on earth vying for Syaoran or should she just plainly reject his offer? She really did not know what to do. However, she did know that she would feel devastated if Syaoran was out of her life forever.

* * *

**Received a review by blossomingtimmy and I then realized that it has been ages since I updated anything." It really motivated me to start writing regularly for a start. Hope you people still haven't forgetten me yet... ) Reviews please? Thanks!**

**Thanks to Syaoran Li CCS for pointing out that I titled the chapter incorrectly. I have corrected the mistake, )**


	8. Chapter 8

_May 2, 2008_

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 8**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

Syaoran had kept his words. Exactly half an hour after Sakura's request to be brought home, she was ushered into the awaiting limousine just outside the entrance to the grand mansion that belonged to the prestigious Li family. The butler, who was known as Wei to Sakura, had kindly informed her that Syaoran had made all the necessary arrangements for her to go home. Sakura knew that she should feel happy at the thought of going home to meet her family but somehow, the happiness seemed to be drained away from her at the thought of separating away from Syaoran.

_I guess I am used to staying inside his room_, Sakura thought with a sad smile. _But I shouldn't delay going home any further. It really is weird for somebody like me to be staying together with Syaoran. He's a prince and I am just plain Sakura. Who am I to him?_

The elderly butler was trying to tell her something. Seeing that he did not have her attention, he kindly kept quiet and pushed his spectacles higher on the bridge of his nose and waited patiently for the right moment to notify her that she was to be expected downstairs in about five minutes.

So deep in her thoughts that Sakura only realized that Wei was still standing by her side. She was standing by the windows, staring out into the scenery while she sorted out her thoughts. She would miss this beautiful scenery. How she wished her own room at home overlooked a wide expense of garden. The view was simply breath-taking.

"I'm sorry!" Sakura apologized frantically. "I didn't realize you are still here."

Wei nodded in understanding and gave her a fatherly smile. "No offense taken. Syaoran-sama always does this all the time."

Sakura blinked at his statement. _Why is he telling me this?_ "You wished to tell me something?"

"Syaoran-sama has arranged a car to bring you back home. If you are ready, please follow me down. The car awaits."

Wei opened the door for her and waited while she exited before closing the door firmly behind her. _I am going to miss this room_, Sakura thought as she looked at the door fondly. _It holds so many precious memories for me._ With one last glance, Sakura slowly made her way down behind Wei to the entrance of the mansion, where a grand limousine was waiting.

Sakura paused at the steps leading to the porch, staring at the limousine while Wei hurriedly rushed to open the door of the grand vehicle for Syaoran's lady guest. His hands remained on the door handle while he turned to face Sakura politely. The lady was clearly hesitating about something. "Wei-san," she started. "I do not believe that it is a good idea to be taking the Li family's grand limousine. It isn't appropriate. After all, I am not a part of the family."

Wei smiled, understanding dawned on him instantly. He opened his mouth to answer but was rudely interrupted by the occupant in the backseat of the limousine. "What nonsense is that?" came a familiar voice that made Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

"Prince Li?" Sakura asked as she peered into the limousine curiously from where she stood. "What are you doing inside?"

Syaoran scowled immediately. "I told you to call me Syaoran. Are you going to come in or stand there all day long?"

"But it is inappropriate for me to take your family's limousine," Sakura protested.

Syaoran shrugged, "Does it matter? You have taken it the other time."

Sakura pouted. "I wasn't given a choice!"

Syaoran sighed. _That lady sure is stubborn_, he thought as he pushed himself out of the limousine and approached Sakura. Her breath seemed to have been taken away; she was hardly breathing at this closeness. She took an unconscious step backwards to put a safe distance between them so that she can breathe normally again. She did not know that Syaoran's nearness had this stunning effect on her. She stared up at him with wide innocent eyes.

"Isn't it your decision to go back to your own home instead of staying here until you are totally recovered?" Syaoran asked, his face dangerously close to hers.

Sakura blinked in response. It took her about five seconds before she could make a reply. "Y-yes," Sakura almost winced at the hoarseness of her voice and she looked shyly down at her own feet.

Syaoran took a step forward towards her and she scooted backwards immediately. He frowned at her response but said nothing. Clearly, something was upsetting her. That was what the prince had thought. _Did I do something wrong? _The prince asked himself silently but could not find any answers to his own question. After a long moment, he realized that she was fretting over his so called confession earlier. _No wonder she looks so jumpy._

Syaoran purposely walked closer to Sakura, knowing that she would move backwards in an attempt to get away from him. Eventually, her back came into contact with the solid doors that led to the interior of the mansion. In other words, she was trapped between the cursed door and the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Syaoran. She would have moved away from the door if not for Syaoran's hands that were in her way. He had prevented her escape by planting his hands on the door on both sides of her head. She was trapped.

Sakura was forced to look up at him in the eye as Syaoran bent over her so that they were both looking at each other at eye level. Sakura made the mistake of looking at his lips. Knowing that she was caught staring, she hastily looked at everywhere but him.

Her breath was caught in her throat again when Syaoran leaned closer with an unmistakable intent in his eyes; he was also staring at her mouth. Sakura's heartbeat quickened to a speed that she thought was inhuman. She thought her heart was going to burst out from her chest. _He's going to kiss me!!_

Their lips touched.

Syaoran pressed feathery light kisses on her lips.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. But only for an instant.

In the next moment, she sighed and her eyes closed on their own accord.

She did not know how long had passed but a discreet cough startled her and she broke away instantly, heat flooding her cheeks. Her face must be as red as a tomato! She caught Wei trying very hard not to look at the both of them and he had an amused expression on his face. Sakura was aghast! She then realized that she had wound her hands around Syaoran's neck and hastily disentangled them away from him.

Syaoran grinned, his hands still pressed firmly against the door. He looked please with himself. He knew Sakura would be feeling very confused right now so he took the liberty to explain his action to her. "That's practice."

"Practice?" Sakura repeated dumbly, still aware of the mad blush on her cheeks.

He pushed away from the door and put an arm around Sakura's shoulder, ushering her towards the limousine, making use of her current confusion to propel her towards to vehicle that she refused to take. "Yes," he reaffirmed. "That's practice."

Wei shut the door after the couple had entered the car. He was smiling. Never had his master had the kind of smile on his usually strict face before. Hence, he was really grateful of Sakura's presence which had a devastating effect on Syaoran's behaviour.

He watched as the limousine sped off.

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**Many thanks to myhimesakura04 and StarAngelz02 for your reviews. I, too, have experienced waiting ages for other fanfics to be updated so that I can read them. As much as I enjoy reading fanfics, I also enjoy writing them. I will be writing more often this time round. No more going back on my words. Well, this is like the second fanfic chapter within 7 days. I hope to improve! Feel free to flood my inbox should you feel that I am updating too slowly. Hahas.. I hope you enjoy the chapter. )  
**


	9. Chapter 9

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Be My Valentine

**Chapter 9**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

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Touya scrubbed the family car as viciously as he could with the wet sponge in his hands, muttering to himself under his breath, while his best friend sat on the steps in front of the front door listening to all his complaints with an amused grin on his handsome face.

"He doesn't have any right at all to keep Sakura at his place," he continued to grumble as he continued to scrub the car as if it was his enemy. "It's not as if nobody will be at home to take care of my precious little sister. Don't you think so, Yuki?"

Touya's best friend, Yuki, or also known as Tsukishiro Yukito, chuckled at Touya's statement. "Seems that you still treat Sakura-chan like your baby sister. She's already grown up right now," he paused when Touya glared at him and he changed the wordings to appease his friend. "Okay… Almost grown up. Still, if she did not wish to stay with him, she would have voiced out her opinions. He seems to care about her enough to keep him at his house."

Touya scoffed and threw the sponge he was holding angrily into the pail of bubbly water just next to his foot. "Seem to care about her? I don't think so! I bet my life that he has ulterior motives on my sister!"

Yukito sighed and stood up to hand the water hose for Touya so that he could finish the task of washing the family car. "What's so bad about that Prince, anyway? Just because he's the chairman of the school council of the most prestigious school in Japan for the rich? Or is there any other valid reason?"

"I hate everything about him," Touya replied vehemently. "I will not hand over Sakura to the likes of him! He can have everything he wants, except for my little sister. He'll have to kill me first before I hand Sakura over to him!"

"How did Sakura-chan get to meet him anyway?" Yukito asked out of curiosity and watched Touya's face turned darker at the mention of _him_.

Touya sprayed clean water over the car, washing away the soapy residue and bringing the car to its usual sparkling state. "That sleepyhead just had to go to school on a _Sunday_ and had the bad luck of running into that bunch of _rich brats_ at some restaurants. That clueless sister of mine just had to enter into that restaurants even knowing that those rich brats were there. I just don't know why she went there even when she saw their uniforms."

Yukito blinked. "Uniforms? Why were they wearing uniforms on a Sunday? There's school on Sundays for Royal High School?"

"Beats me," Touya shrugged as he turned off the hose. "I don't want to find out anything about them. I don't want to have anything to do with them."

Yukito returned to his seat on the front steps as he stared at Touya. "There is still one more question and I really hope you will be able to answer them. It has been plaguing me ever since you told me Sakura-chan has met the Prince from The Royalties." He waited for any response from Touya and continued when he received none, taking his silence for him to proceed with his question. "Why are they called The Royalties?"

"Can't blame you for asking that," Touya sighed. "You have been away from Japan most of the time for your work nowadays. As for when we were still in school, the only thing that interests you are food and extracurricular activities. Probably that's why you did not know anything about Royal High School."

"So why are they called The Royalties? They even had the crest on their cars, from what I have heard."

Touya nodded, "I have seen it. Royal High School has very close political ties with the political environment as well as the rich in the society. Therefore, only rich brats are able to be enrolled in that school as they can afford the extravagant school fees. Those who managed to become the president of the student council enjoy the luxury of being able to use The Royalty's crest for anything in their lives and wields considerable influence and power over the school population and the external society. These presidents are given the title 'Prince'. Did that answer your question?"

Yukito blinked and was amazed by Touya's vast amount of knowledge, "That really answers everything! You're amazing, Touya! How I wish I have a chance to take a look at the crest."

Sounds of car engine could be heard from a distance and Touya frowned at the noise as the neighbourhood was usually quiet; not many families had the luxury of a family car. Touya put down everything in his hands and walked to the front gates, peering into the other end of the road. His frown deepened as he told his friend, "Your chance is here."

True to his words, less than a minute later, the road was filled with numerous black cars that were of similar design. The string of cars stopped at the same time and a grand looking black limousine with The Royalties' crest came to a halt right in front of the gates. Men in black suits came out from the cars that were in front and behind of the limousine, wearing black sunglasses that made them looked less friendly. All of the men in black suits stood rigidly by their car, staring straight ahead.

The back door of the limousine opened on the other side of the gate and Syaoran got out of the car in one fluid motion, smoothed down the front of his shirt before bending over to speak to the occupant in the car and then shook his head sternly. He straightened and noticed Touya and Yukito staring at him so he gave them a nod of acknowledgement, which riled Touya.

"Arrogant brat!" Touya muttered angrily and pushed Yukito's restraining hands away. "How I wish to bash that arrogant face!"

Yukito was aghast and admonished his friend immediately, "Get that idea off your brain! Didn't you say that The Royalties had powerful influence over the politics? One word from them and there goes your modeling career! It wasn't easy for you to reach to this level of popularity!"

"It's not as if I'm going to be a model for my whole life," Touya grunted. "I'm more than capable of running a company successfully. And that's speaking from experience, by the way. Wait… Is that Sakura in that car?"

"You are right! You still have that 'sister-radar' in you," Yukito laughed. "Never fail to spot Sakura-chan no matter where you are."

"Yeah, just continue to mock me and I'll leave you out of tonight's dinner," he said as he watched Syaoran walked to the other back door and opened it, and extending a hand to help Sakura out of the car.

Before Yukito could even make a single protest about his dinner, Touya had taken off into the streets just as Sakura was climbing out of the car with the help of Syaoran. Sakura looked embarrassed by everything and took a good look at the neighbourhood and was dismayed to see that almost all her neighbours were out filing out on the streets, looking at the procession with interest.

Syaoran was about to put his hands over Sakura's shoulders to assist her in case she trip and fell when Touya intercepted and pulled Sakura against him, glaring at the younger boy. "Onii-chan!" Sakura gasped as men in black suits swarmed over, who paused when Syaoran rose up a hand to restrain them.

"Our family thank you very much for the care that you have given to Sakura over the past few weeks," Touya said icily as he pushed Sakura through the gate to where Yukito was. "But we will take over from now onwards."

Seeing Sakura's horrified expression at Touya's confrontational demeanor, Yukito assured her, "It's all right; just some brotherly jealousy. He won't do anything to the Prince."

Sakura looked at the duo on the street doubtfully. Her brother looked ready to throttle Syaoran at any moment and it would just take a tiny little spark to do just that trick. Syaoran was saying something but Sakura was unable to hear what they were conversing about. Then, the fiery spark within Touya's eyes went out and he was listening attentively to what Syaoran was telling him.

Sakura's curiosity went up another notch when she caught Touya turning over his shoulder to take a quick glance at her. That made her want to know what they were discussing.

A mobile phone rang loudly in the busy street, and everybody on the street turned quiet, trying to find out the source of the loud noise. Syaoran frowned as he fished out his mobile phone from the back pocket of his pants and looked surprised when he saw the name reflected on the phone. He excused himself from Touya and took a few paces away into the street.

Her neighbours watched in fascination at Syaoran as he conversed on the phone, not missing any of his little actions. Some young ladies almost swooned when Syaoran let out an exasperated sigh, much to Sakura's annoyance.

"What were you talking about with Syaoran?" Sakura asked her brother as she approached him. "Something concerning me? I'm really fine now; I can walk, run and jump around perfectly so don't worry about me."

"What worries me the most now is your closeness with The Royalties," Touya said angrily. "The only advice that I can give is to stay far away from him; you will only get hurt if you insist to be with him."

"I… I don't understand," Sakura said, shaking her head as she watched Syaoran disconnect the call and came towards them.

"I've some important matters on hand," Syaoran explained to Sakura. "So I need to settle them right away. Be sure to memorize your script for the festival 2 days later. I'll probably see you tomorrow at your school."

"My school?" Sakura gasped.

Syaoran grinned, "It's supposed to be a surprise. You will know it tomorrow. Meanwhile, memorize your script well."

With that, Syaoran left, with Touya glaring daggers at the back of his head. "Stay away from Sakura!"

Syaoran's chuckle was his only reply as he waved his farewell before stepping into the limousine and sped off together with the rest of the cars.

Touya let out a frustrated sighed and glared at the grinning Yukito. "What an interesting scene to see the world famous model getting angry over something that concerns your precious little sister," Yukito said jokingly.

"Shut up," Touya growled. "No dinner for you tonight."

"No way!" Yukito whined. "Sakura-chan, say some good words for me, please?"

"It has been a long time since I've seen you and the first thing you did when I see you is to help to put you in good light in front of my brother? What about my souvenirs? Where are they?"

"Ah… Being demanding again I see," Yukito pouted. "Our famous model Tooki-kun is already too much for me to handle… and now his sister? I'm in deep trouble!"

"Don't use the name Tooki when we're at home!" Touya smacked the back of Yukito's head and the latter cringed. "It's just my alias for my modeling career and it's not me."

"Understood," Yukito replied obediently and he trudged behind Touya into the house. "Sakura-chan, if you are not coming in then I am locking you out."

"Meanie!" Sakura shouted as she dashed through the front door and back to the normal life that she was accustomed to.

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**To all readers: I'm so sorry for being really inactive for the past year. Been real busy with university stuffs and keeping my grades up. I'm currently in the last semester for my university. I'll do my best to update my fics. So please please please please don't forget sakuraakamichelle. sakuraakamichelle needs readers' reviews to keep her motivation level up. ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 10**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**27 June, 2010**

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Sakura could not suppress the feeling of disappointment when Syaoran failed to turn up at her rehearsal the day before, even though he had already said that he would probably drop by. In addition, he had something important to attend to and perhaps that was the reason that he was not available. Nevertheless, she could not help but feel it that way, sulking a little in the changing room as Tomoyo made the finishing touches to her princess gown.

"Thinking about somebody?" Tomoyo asked as she adjusted the satin bow on the back of Sakura's waist.

Sakura blinked in surprise. _Am I too obvious? I hope not!_ "What are you talking about, Tomoyo-chan?" she laughed and tried to brush her cousin's question off. "Whom can I possibly miss? Miss you?" She looked around nervously and was relieved that no one else was in the classroom with them.

"You do know whom I am referring to," Tomoyo admonished as she concentrated on her masterpiece in front of her. "It is useless to keep anything from me, Sakura-chan. Angry with him for not turning up yesterday?"

"What?" Sakura exclaimed as Tomoyo had hit the bull's eye. Her cheeks warmed and she blinked at the ground guiltily as though she had been caught red-handed for committing some serious crimes. She paused to contemplate her answer and sighed a few moments later as she realized that Tomoyo knew her too well and could simply see through any of her lies. "Perhaps just a little."

Tomoyo chuckled lightly and retorted, "More than just a little, from what I can see here. You were glancing at the clock every five minutes and turning eagerly towards the door whenever it opened. You were obviously waiting for him."

"Am I really that obvious?" Sakura asked with a slight worried frown on her face. She did not want to let anyone know about her feelings towards the Prince from Royal High School. Her heart dropped to the bottom of the pit when Tomoyo nodded her head with a serious expression. "You must be joking!"

"Of course I am," Tomoyo giggled at Sakura's fast changing expression and dodged a playful punch from her cousin. "As I have just told you, I understand you too well. Just think of how long we have known each other; we practically grew up together."

"That's true," Sakura smiled and relaxed. "Nothing escapes your eyes."

The time on the clock showed that they had at least an hour and a half left before the start of the festival. Feeling that they could have some free time on their own, Tomoyo dragged Sakura over to the side of the classroom where all the chairs were kept at the moment. She pulled out two chairs for the two of them and motioned Sakura to take a seat while she pulled a table and put in between them. Leaning over the table while sitting down, Tomoyo whispered eagerly, "Did anything happen while you were at his place? You were there for so long so something must have happened!"

"It's a pretty long story," Sakura started to explain but she paused to think for a moment and heaved a huge sigh. "I don't know how to explain; it's a little complicated."

Walking over to the windows, Sakura peered out at her school compound that was already filled with food and game stalls and people. The festival has already started and the play was just a few hours away. Sakura was not feeling nervous at all but still, she felt a tinge of worry for something she could not comprehend.

"Tomoyo-chan," Sakura called out as she hugged herself, trying to put down some of her uneasiness. "Somehow, I feel scared. He is just not in the same world as me; I have seen it and felt it during that short period of time."

Tomoyo patted Sakura's back in an effort to provide comfort to her cousin. "Take your time, Sakura-chan, and you will know if he is the right one for you. There is no point worrying about anything else except to experience it on your own."

Sakura gave Tomoyo a grateful smile and turned immediately when the classroom door slid open. It was only Chiharu, who had come to inform them of a meeting. Their homeroom teacher wanted a briefing to boost the casts' confidence.

"You must take a look at the lead male character!" Chiharu exclaimed excitedly and then stared dreamily ahead as the trio made their way to another classroom where the rest of their classmates were waiting. "I didn't know that _he_ could look so suave! Oh… my Yamazaki-kun."

"Better stand clear when you are with him later," Tomoyo commented jokingly. "Or I will risk getting diabetics from being near the famous loving couple in the school."

Sakura giggled, "That's a mean thing to say, Tomoyo-chan!"

"You will know once you see him," Chiharu promised as she led the small group into a classroom that was buzzing with activities.

It was exactly like a marketplace in the classroom, except that all the people were dressed up in a fairytale-like outfit, ranging from knight to a lowly peasant. Those that were involved in creation of props were in their own school uniform. They were all seated in chairs that were arranged in straight rows at the front of the classroom. Their homeroom teacher, Terada-sensei, was trying to say something but everyone did not seem to listen to him and were having their own conversations. Midori-sensei was by his side, trying to grab hold of the students' attention by shouting at the top of her lungs but that did not help.

"Would you just take a look at him in his prince outfit?" Chiharu said, pointing at the lone figure leaning against the bookshelves at the back of the classroom with his arms crossed. "They even gave him a mask, which gave him an air of mysteriousness. How cool!"

Sakura knew the exact moment Yamazaki spotted them, for he straightened and made a gallant bow in their direction which had the girls in the class squealing in delight. Sakura raised a brow in question at the girls' reaction. _Aren't they over-reaction a little? _

"Indeed," Tomoyo remarked with a knowing grin. "He is definitely taking the role of prince very seriously, isn't he?"

Sakura watched as Yamazaki walked towards them and was utterly shocked when he made a move, as if to hug her. Naturally, the agile Sakura jumped back to evade his touch and promptly tripped on the hem of her skirt. Tomoyo gasped aloud and Chiharu almost screamed out in warning. Warm hands made a grab for her and she was pulled up against him before she made contact with solid ground.

With her heart thumping wilding from the near accident, Sakura grabbed his arm and pushed him an arm's length away but did not let go. She had caught a whiff of his cologne and was now starring up at him in bewilderment. It had smelled familiar. He was still holding onto her elbow to steady her when Kireirei sauntered over. "What is happening over here? The teachers are going to start the briefing soon; let's all join the rest."

Yamazaki released Sakura and hesitated before he was pulled away by Kireirei. Tomoyo started fussing over Sakura and her latest creation (the princess gown). When Chiharu walked away, Sakura whispered to Tomoyo, "Is he trying to hug me just now or was it just my imagination?"

"Must be your imagination," mumbled Tomoyo. "What would I do if you dirtied the gown? Please take real good care of it, Sakura-chan. You are the main character of the play afterall."

Sakura made a face at Tomoyo and pulled her along to join her classmates as they finally settled down to listen to their teachers. Sakura spent the whole briefing time to stare at Yamazaki who was sitting with Kireirei instead of Chiharu. Sakura shrugged off her thoughts as she tried to concentrate on Terada-sensei's words of encouragement.

"Give it your best shot and let's all have fun together!" Terada-sensei exclaimed excitedly and watched as his students cheered loudly. "We are the first to perform for the festival so we have to go to the stage area to wait for our performance."

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By the time everyone was settled down, it was already late evening and the sky has already turned dark. Audiences started to fill in the seats in front of the large makeshift stage. Spotlights were in place to illuminate the whole stage area. Sakura watched the audience from the concealed side of the stage and wondered if her brother would be rooting for her. It would certainly create an uproar if the people knew the famous model "Tooki" were with them in the crowd. _It would cause a bigger uproar if Syaoran were here… _Sakura thought with a wistful smile. _He must have been very busy these two days._

"Sakura-chan!" came an urgent whisper behind her and she turned to find Chiharu motioning her further into the side stage. "The play is about to start and Terada-sensei wants us to get into position."

The whole class was waiting anxiously, all crowded together and whispering words of encouragement to each other. Sakura watched as Chiharu and one of her male classmates walked onto the stage with a clothed bundle in Chiharu's arms without an ounce of nervousness.

The audience was silent, enthralled by the story and the beautiful props that the backstage helpers of the class had painstakingly pieced together. Everything was perfect. The King and Queen had finally given birth to their first child after many years into their marriage. The child was beautiful and to celebrate her birth, they have decided to hold a grand party within the palace. The King was showing off his daughter to all the invited guests when Kireirei, the lonesome witch in ugly black garb, crashed into the party uninvited.

"Thanks for not inviting me to this wonderful party," Kireirei's voice rang out sarcastically. "I have a present for this precious child of yours; to die at the age of eighteen after pricking herself on the spindle."

Dismayed, the King and Queen tried to hunt for ways to break the curse. That was when the three little fairies appeared and grant them their wish; the princess would only fall into a deep sleep after pricking herself. Relieved, the King ordered everyone to keep away every spindle in the castle in an effort to break the dreadful curse.

A spindle was carried onto the stage and it was time for Sakura to make her appearance. With careful steps, she approached wheel spindle with care and was curious to what that thing was. She made several circles around the spindle as she tried to determine the use of it. Sakura picked up the spindle and showed it to the audience, who gasped in anticipation as she inspected the object.

"Ouch!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly and dropped the spindle which crashed to the floor with a loud thud that echoed through the neighbourhood. Sakura winced at the loudness of that sound effect. "That hurts!" A few moments, she started swaying on her feet and murmured that she suddenly felt sleepy. Without warning, she dropped to the floor of the stage into an endless and dreamless sleep. The spotlight went off at the exact same moment, keeping the audience in suspense.

An elevated bed with grand furnishing and quilt was pushed onto the stage and Sakura was helped onto it. Tomoyo spent quick moments to arrange Sakura's dress as perfectly as she could. Before she left, she whispered a quick good luck to Sakura and then she was gone. _Good luck? We are almost finishing the play…_

The lights flickered on and Sakura quickly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep with her hands folded neatly atop her waist. She heard loud gasps from the audience and a split second later, she flinched at the sudden loud cheers. _So, the prince has arrived to save the princess, _Sakura thought and wished that Yamazaki would end her torture quickly by ending the play.

"Oh what a beautiful princess," his voice was loud and clear but it did not sound exactly like Yamazaki and had Sakura frowning in confusion. "With this kiss, I shall wake her up."

Booted footsteps neared the bed and Sakura tensed in anticipation even though she knew that it was only a quick peck on the cheek to wake the sleeping princess up. Her surroundings turned quiet as everyone focused on them. Sakura dare not open her eyes and prayed silently that Yamazaki would not tease her by making her wait for so long.

And he did kiss her quickly and Sakura gasped aloud and opened her eyes immediately; Yamazaki had kissed her fully on her lips and not on her cheek as in the rehearsal! She stared in open-mouthed shock at the offending person, who had his mask off and was grinning from ear to ear.

"Surprised?" Syaoran asked softly as he pulled her to her feet to stand beside him. The audience cheered loudly and some even stood up in their excitement. "There's more."

He proceeded to knelt on one knee in front of Sakura, whose eyes had become as wide as saucers at the moment. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked in hushed whisper. "This isn't in the script!"

He produced a small little box to the audience and opened to reveal a magnificent ring. "Will you marry me, my beautiful princess?"

Sakura looked around frantically for help, unsure of how to continue the play. She caught Tomoyo waving widely at her from the side stack and then desperately pleaded her cousin for help with her eyes. Tomoyo made a rolling motion with her hands, as if saying that she should continue with the flow. Sakura sighed and turned back to look at Syaoran.

"Yes," came her reply.

She was totally caught unprepared as Syaoran lept to his feet and pulled Sakura into his embrace. Before she knew it, Syaoran had already slid the ring onto her finger and had drawn her in for another passionate kiss.

_To be continued._

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**Hi everyone! Thank you for waiting so patiently for this chapter. It has been more than a year since this fanfic was updated and I hope you have enjoyed it. Was it very obvious in the beginning who the masked prince was? I hope that you would be surprised by his identity. Did you?**

**Signing off,  
Sakura aka Michelle  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Be My Valentine **

**Chapter 11**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_9 August, 2011_

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"_Will you marry me?"_

The baritone voice kept replaying itself in Sakura's mind and she relived the moment on the stage where she was still the princess with her beloved prince. And then there was the kiss. A deep blush spread like wildfire on her cheeks and Sakura patted them away, becoming aware of the sly grins her close friends were giving her. Suddenly self-conscious, Sakura gingerly placed her hands on her lap and tried to relax and found that it was an impossible task with the reason for the pinkish blush was just sitting _very close_ beside her.

"Is anything wrong?" Sakura asked her group of friends sitting opposite her in the family restaurant. Terada-sensei had rounded up all his students for supper after the festival play was over for celebration and Syaoran had tagged along, together with his huge group of bodyguards in dark suits. Though a little unnerved at their presence, Sakura knew it was just a precautionary measure for Syaoran whose family may have made tons of enemies in the political world. In addition, there were just standing aside silently and not disrupting their celebration.

The grins were back on her friends' faces. Tomoyo was eyeing her with a weird twinkle in her eyes while Chiharu and Takashi were whispering to each other while darting glances at her every now and then. Sakura supposed they were discussing about her. Sakura finished the rest of her drink and leaned back against the soft cushion seat that she was sharing with Syaoran. She almost gasped aloud when her thigh accidentally brushed against Syaoran's and she immediately scooted away to her left to put a little distant between them. Her heart was pounding so hard that she thought it would stop beating any moment.

Syaoran frowned at her reaction and a few moments later, he was grinning slyly for he was suddenly struck with the reason for Sakura's uneasiness. He leaned down purposefully and whispered into her ears, "Still thinking about the play? Or was it my kiss?"

Sakura shivered inwardly and her eyes widened in shock as she leaned away abruptly. Twin hot spots formed on her cheeks and she knew she was blushing madly. Syaoran had hit the bulls' eye. Her friends watched with immense interest as Sakura sputtered, "What are you talking about?"

"This," Syaoran replied. He pulled Sakura's hand with the ring still on the finger and slowly pressing a gentle kiss on the ring, much to everyone's shock and especially to Sakura.

It took a while before Sakura could respond normally. She realized her hand was still in Syaoran's and made a move to pull it away from his grasp but he held on, staring into her eyes. Embarrassed, Sakura looked away shyly.

"I'm serious," he added solemnly. "Only you."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Sakura replied hastily and stood up. "It's getting late. I'm going back now before my family worry about me."

Sakura excused herself from the group, assured Tomoyo that she would be fine on her own when her cousin made a move to stand up. With one last glance at Syaoran, Sakura hurriedly exited the restaurant. The men in black suits immediately parted as Sakura neared and she stepped out into the chilly night. She heard footsteps behind her and knew immediately that Syaoran had followed her.

"The disparity between us is too great," Sakura murmured, turning to face him, and began fiddling with the ring on her finger, noting the exquisite design as well as the Royal crest engraved on it. She pulled out the ring and gave it back to Syaoran. "I am not suitable for you."

"This is not for you to decide," Syaoran replied calmly and accepted the ring, pulling up Sakura's hand again to slide the ring back onto her ring figure once more. "Let's give ourselves more time to get to know each other, Sakura. Then you will realize that we are made for each other, much more than you think it could be."

"But we are still so young and…" Sakura protested but was cut off when Syaoran pulled her into a tight hug. "Wait! Don't! Don't do this!"

Syaoran crushed her to him to silence her protests. "Stop resisting me."

"I'm not trying to do anything. You are the one that is always trying to tease me." Sakura retorted and noticed that the occupants of the restaurants were pressing their faces against the glass windows to get a good look at them from their current location. "People are looking."

"I don't care what other people thinks," he answered, pulling away from the hug to press a kiss on her forehead. "I only care about you."

Sakura's eyes immediately squeezed shut in response when she spied Syaoran leaning much too close towards her. Her eyes remained closed when Syaoran moved away. He was grinning at her response. "I love the way your face turn red whenever I am close to you."

"You are making fun of me again." Fuming, Sakura snapped her eyes open to glare at him. "Leave me alone will you?" Sakura huffed and stomped away angrily. Soon after, Syaoran left in the Royal car and the bodyguards were dismissed and everything was back to normal inside the restaurant.

"Did you see that?" Tomoyo chirped excitedly. "My dearest Sakura-chan is finally falling in love… and with the Prince! I can't believe it!"

"Just look at how sweet the Prince was behaving towards Sakura-chan," Chiharu sighed dreamily. "How could a girl not fall to such charms? If I am the girl, I would surely swoon straightaway from all the sweetness."

"I could also be romantic," Takashi interjected, looking very serious out of a sudden. He pouted when Chiharu waved away his comments almost immediately as if it meant nothing. "I really can!"

Tomoyo and Chiharu eyed each other before giving their full attention on Takashi. "You? Romantic?" Chiharu scoffed and then she had to suppress her giggles at the absurdity of the whole thought. "Let's hear it then."

"Here goes," Takashi started and cleared his throat, looking at his girlfriend in the eye. Chiharu swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling uneasy out of a sudden while waiting in anticipation. Somehow, she knew something wrong would be happening and she was right. "Would you be the mother of my children?"

Tomoyo coughed to hide her laughter while Chiharu's jaws literally fell wide open in disbelief. "You call this a romantic proposal?" Chiharu screeched and then started choking Takashi. "That was a crude proposal, you idiot!"

The whole class present burst into fits of laughter at the scene. Takashi was complaining to his girlfriend in the background when Kireirei came over to Tomoyo.

"You need to keep an eye on Sakura tomorrow," she warned, her expression anxious. "Syaoran had created a scene in the house by participating in such plays and also proposing to a girl on stage. Although it may be just in a play, things are not going to be so simple. I need your help to keep an eye on her and inform me or Syaoran if anything should happen. We are counting on you."

"Is Sakura-chan going to be in any danger?" Tomoyo was turning pale at the thought. "Will she be in danger?"

Kireirei shook her head and Tomoyo sighed in relief. "Not life threatening but she may be caught in a little trouble. A little precaution doesn't hurt."

"Let's hope it is nothing too serious."

* * *

Touya was waiting at the doorsteps when Sakura returned home. She gulped unconsciously when she noted the dark expression on his face and Sakura suddenly felt a sense of dread overpowering her. Whenever Touya was mad, he would have this deadly expression on his face. This time, Yukito was not around to stop any anger outburst he might have.

"Nii-chan?" Sakura called out hesitantly, taking careful steps one at a time and trying to gauge what her brother's next reaction would be. "Are you angry because I came back late?"

"What's with the play?" Touya burst out angrily and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "There are already people saying that the Prince was doing a _real_ marriage proposal! Explain to me!"

Sakura gulped, not knowing how to answer her brother's questions. She opened her mouth to defend herself but no voice came out. She swallowed again and the bowed her head down, fighting for words.

"So it is real!" Touya shouted out in dismay and Sakura had to hush him down, for fear of creating a commotion. "Don't tell me you agree to this foolish proposal."

"Well… You didn't finish watching the whole play?"

Touya rummaged his own hair in exasperation and let out an irritated sigh. "Yukito dragged me away after the first intimate scene. I mean, who would watch in silence when her sister was being violated openly in public?" Touya asked, still horrified at the thought of it.

Sakura was gaping at her brother's explanation. "Vio-violated?" It was her turn to shout and then gasped when she realized her voice was too loud. "For goodness sake Nii-chan, it was just a simple _chaste_ kiss for the play. You exaggerated too much!"

"Not to me," Touya retorted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "It was way too much for me. He should keep his mouth to himself. Yukito just had to pull me away before I had the chance to run up the stage to bash that guy up."

_Thank you so much, Yukito-san! _Sakura thought silently as she listened to her brother's long tirade. _Thank you for preventing him from watching the second kiss and save us all from a volcanic eruption!_

The front door opened and their father stood in the doorway. Sakura made use of this distraction to run past Touya and up the stairs, pausing at the top to stick a tongue out at her brother before rushing into the safety of the room.

_Hope he will forget everything soon!_

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Hi everyone, how's the long awaited chapter update? **

**Anyway, I am throwing a little question to readers out there: what kind of trouble are you expecting there to be when you date someone rich and famous? ;)**

**Kindly review. Thanks!**_  
_


	12. Chapter 12

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 12**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**17 September, 2011**

* * *

Touya was sipping his coffee while reading the morning newspaper, already dressed and ready to head out for work. The only thing that delayed him from leaving early was to wait for Sakura to come out for breakfast so that he would get some answers for yesterday.

_If there is nothing to hide, Sakura could have just answered me yesterday. _Touya thought with a frown as he continued to drink his coffee. _From the way she behaved, there is definitely something worth worrying…_

"What has you frowning over breakfast?" Fujitaka asked as he settled down on the opposite side of the table for breakfast with a plate of pancakes and a glass of hot coffee in his hands.

"I cannot help but worry about Sakura," Touya admitted with a sigh as he lowered his cup on the table and put away the newspaper. "She is too close to that Royalty guy. I'm afraid she is going to get into some serious trouble one of the days. Shouldn't we keep Sakura a distance with those rich guys?"

Fujitaka paused to think for a moment. "I believe Sakura-chan is capable of handling it although I am really glad that you are still vigilantly looking after her welfare," he replied with a warm smile. "To be honest, I am really touched and relieved by your brotherly affections. Sakura-chan would surely be in your great care when I am no longer around."

Touya was immediately alarmed by what his father was saying. "What are you talking about, otou-san? You still have many long years ahead!"

"People have to die one day, Touya-kun," Fujitaka paused on a sigh. "I must concede I am no longer young anymore. In addition, life is unpredictable."

"Otou-san, are you all right?"

"Let Sakura-chan do what she wants with her life. I don't want her to live in regret," Fujitaka said and sipped his coffee. "She is old enough to make decisions about her own life. The only thing we can do for her right now is to respect her decision and support her in whichever way we can."

"It still doesn't mean I should approve their relationship," Touya scowled as he thought about the scene he witnessed during the festival play. He felt the steam burst out from his head but evaporated instantly when his father chuckled and reached out to pat his head as if he was still a little boy.

"It's tough being an elder brother right? Don't ever let these feelings fade away."

Father and son were alarmed when a piercing scream came from Sakura's room upstairs. Both stood up immediately as they started to rush up to her room, automatically thinking that something bad has happened, only pausing when Sakura shouted, "I'm going to be so late!"

The two of them looked at staircase leading to the second floor in shock and then looked at each other sheepishly before bursting out in fits of laughter.

"You are a great life saver!" Sakura exclaimed gratefully when she hoped off her brother's motorcycle. "If you didn't send me to school, I will definitely be in the detention room in the afternoon."

Touya reached out to help Sakura with her helmet and watched as she hastily reached up to smooth out her messed up hair with a pout. This always happens whenever she wore the helmet, much to her annoyance. She bent down to check her appearance in the side mirror of the motorcycle one last time before straightening up. "You owe me a big one for this," Touya retorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Petty!" Sakura protested. "It's just along your way to work. You don't need to be so calculative!"

Chuckling, he patted Sakura on her head just like his father did to him in the morning. It had the same effect on her as well. Her outburst stopped immediately and she looked up at him with a slight blush before she pouted again. "I'm not a small kid anymore," she whispered.

"Once a monster, forever a monster," Touya teased and yelped when Sakura kicked his leg.

When he looked up through his helmet, she was already running away through the school gates. Sakura paused and turned back to look at Touya. When their eyes met, she squeezed her eyes shut and stuck out her tongue at him before rushing to her classroom.

Touya smiled as he looked at his sister's retreating form. _Some things never change._

* * *

"Tomoyo-chan, you are acting a little weird today," Sakura remarked as they exited the school gates.

"I'm always the same!" Tomoyo argued as she shot furtive glances about them and stood closer to Sakura, who arched a brow in response.

"I doubt so," she drawled out and her friend cringed. "Out with it. What's wrong? You are sticking to me like glue today."

Tomoyo let out an exasperated sigh and conceded defeat. "Why is it that I can never hide anything from you?"

"So what is the matter?" Sakura asked and refused to take any step unless her cousin spill out everything.

"It's just that Kireirei-chan warned me about something that might happen to you and told me to keep a lookout for you," Tomoyo replied after brief hesitation. "I'm afraid something very bad will happen to you. You cannot fault me for behaving this way; I don't wish to see you harmed in anyway."

Sakura blinked. Cleary, she was not expecting this. "She said that?"

"You doubt my words?" Tomoyo huffed and was distracted by the big commotion at the school gate. A big crowd of students gathered at the gate, blocking their way. Thinking that it might be some trouble for Sakura, Tomoyo hurriedly pulled Sakura away, intending to exit through the side gate.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura called out and tried to resist her cousin's pull. "Relax, Tomoyo-chan! Listen! It's just Tooki at the gates. The girls are shouting his name. Didn't you hear that? That idiot brother of mine sure has a way to draw attention."

"Touya-kun?" Tomoyo repeated and then sighed in relief when Sakura's words were processed in her mind. "Luckily it's not a big problem."

Sakura surveyed the crowd and wondered how to get to her brother without drawing any needless attention to her. She had already claimed the whole town's attention for what happened at the festival play. Even Touya was still bugging her about the important details regarding the prince and her.

"Going over there is a bad idea," Sakura thought aloud as she watched the crowd get bigger by the minute. "A really bad idea."

"Then shall we exit by the side gate?" Tomoyo asked, getting anxious by the fact that the crowd was actually moving slowly towards them. A sudden chill went down her back as she blinked at the approaching figure of Tooki through the crowd. "I guess we are too late?" she added when Touya saw them and rushed to them amidst the squealing crowd.

Sakura paled as Touya neared them and she started shaking her head at him, warning him to stay away from her to avoid any unnecessary attention. Tomoyo gasped when Touya pulled Sakura into the crowd, leading the both of them to the exit.

The crowd parted before them and the siblings made their way rather smoothly to Touya's motorcycle, where he helped Sakura put on her helmet. Sakura could feel the wrath from her school's female population at the back and she shivered upon the thought of what would happen to her in school.

"What are you trying to do?" Sakura hissed as her brother put on the helmet for her. "Didn't you know that you are quite well known by females, especially high school students?"

"Oh? That sounds suspiciously like a compliment," Touya winked, causing the school population to squeal and swoon in delight.

Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance and held onto Touya's shoulders for support as she swung up on his bike behind him. She peeked over at her schoolmates and froze almost instantly at the chillness in their eyes. Tomoyo was still at her original position at the end of the crowd.

"What's wrong?" Touya asked when he sensed Sakura's tenseness.

Sakura whacked him on the helmet and almost shouted but managed to whisper instead. "You of all persons should not ask me this question. You very well should know why!"

Touya shrugged. "It is not as if I was given any choice in this. I was told to bring you back home as soon as possible. If you don't believe me, you can check with otou-san later. You should be glad that I came too pick you up actually since he said it was pretty urgent and I just happen to knock off from work today."

"_Thank you_," Sakura replied sarcastically and they sped away back home.

* * *

She could not have guessed who was at her house. How could she when she did not even know this elegant lady in her late forties sitting on the sofa opposite her in the living room. Sakura gulped at the dark aura oozing out from her guest, who was regarding her silently for the past few minutes. To add more tension to the room, there were two men in dark suits and sunglasses standing behind her.

Sakura tried to smile politely at her but winced when her facial muscle did not cooperate. Her smile must have looked a little weird because the lady's eyebrow turned into a frown. _Well… Better than no reaction at all…_ Sakura thought with a wry smile.

"I believe you have met my son recently," the lady spoke out loud eloquently and all eyes in the house were on her.

Sakura blinked and racked her brain for some answers. "I'm sorry. I am not too sure who exactly your son is."

The lady passed her a small name card wordlessly across the coffee table separating them and Sakura had no choice but to reach over to accept it with both hands as a form of respect. She read the details on the name card and felt her brother and father, who were both sitting by the side, were also peering over curiously. Sakura gaped at the Royal Crest printed on the top left corner of the name card that was glaring at her.

"Li… Li Yelan," Sakura read out the name and stared in wide-eyed horror at her guest, who has calmly folded her hands daintily on her lap. "Li Syaoran is your son?"

Yelan nodded and smiled faintly. "That is correct. Syaoran is my son. I came over as soon as I heard some ridiculous rumors circulating about my son so my purpose of this trip is to understand what has been going on." Yelan eyed the uniform on Sakura critically before asking, "I presume you are not from Royal High."

"I'm from Tomoeda High actually," Sakura confessed.

There was another momentarily silence again. Sakura hated the awkward feeling lingering in the house. "I wonder how someone from Tomoeda High actually managed to capture the attention from my son," Yelan commented darkly and had Sakura breaking out in cold sweat. "Even to the extent of making him doing silly things and disgraced us all by proposing to a commoner on stage."

Sakura gasped, surprised and hurt by her choice of words, which were then replaced by pure anger. _A commoner? Disgraceful? Me?_ The transformation of her feelings was so quick that Sakura was even surprised by herself. "Please mind your words," Touya stood up abruptly with his fists balled up by his sides in controlled anger.

"I am sure there have been some misunderstandings, Li-san," Fujitaka added calmly and looked meaningfully at Touya, who caught his father's stare and sat back on the sofa reluctantly.

"Please be rest assured that I meant no disrespect," Yelan replied, waving her hands and dismissing Fujitaka's words. "Especially to those who try to capture my son's heart in exchange for a lifetime of luxury and fortune. I really admire their courage but at the same time, I am appalled by their silliness. Do you think anyone on the street can become my son's wife so easily? And a proposal on stage?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the hidden barb in Yelan's carefully worded speech. Her hand tightened on the name card in her hand as she fought to control her anger at the insult thrown plainly at her face. "It was just an act for the festival play. It is hardly real with any significance behind it," Sakura argued.

"A proposal with our Royal ring?" Yelan scoffed. "I think not."

Sakura's thought flew the ring hung on a necklace around her neck and recalled the Royal crest imprint on it. _It was a real ring! Oh dear!_ Sakura groaned inwardly when she caught the look Touya was giving her. _So now he has his answers… Today is really a bad day._

"Shall we drop all pretenses?" Sakura asked, irritated at being insulted though she tried to hide it. She dropped the name card on the coffee table and leaned forward with her arms clasped and elbows on her knees. "What exactly do you want from me, coming all the way here from god knows where?"

Surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor, Yelan could only blink in response, clearly not expecting this from the collected young lady in front of her. Even her father was looking at her as if she had grown two horns on her head.

"Sakura-chan, your manners!" Fujitaka whispered warningly.

"But she started it first!" Sakura had whined back and then pouted angrily at being chided. She turned to her brother for support and was delighted to see him wink at her. She had to swallow the giggles that were about to erupt from her mouth at this ridiculous situation.

Yelan's gaze unconsciously softened as she watched the short family banter, suddenly wishing that she could have a family like the Kinomoto household. She waited patiently until she had their full attention.

"I want you to return the Royal ring back to us."

"That can be easily done," Sakura replied and reached behind her neck to unclasp her necklace but froze at Yelan's next sentence.

"I also want you to leave Syaoran and never see him again."

* * *

**The first appearance of Syaoran's mother. Did you expect that? I also wonder how our dearest Sakura-chan would react to his mother's demands.**

**Tell me how much you like this chapter! I will be waiting for your reviews.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Sakura aka Michelle  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 13**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**September 20, 2011**_

* * *

"_I also want you to stay away from Syaoran and never see him again."_

Yelan's crystal clear voice kept replaying itself in her mind, torturing her and suffocating her. Through the haze in her mind, Sakura realized that she was still in the middle of unclasping her necklace with shaking hands. In the end, she gave up the task and returned her hands to her lap, clutching tightly together to stop the trembling.

"The ring?" Yelan prompted.

"You really want it back badly?" Sakura asked, fingering the ring that lay protectively on her chest hidden beneath her uniform.

"Of course! The Royal ring belongs to my family and it shouldn't be in the hands of some unworthy commoner," Yelan retorted and eyed Sakura with distaste.

Sakura did not know where she got the supernatural courage from and before she knew it, she has already banged her fists on the coffee table, startling Yelan and even her family. The mugs on the table jumped a little and the little clanking noise emitting from them was the only disturbance in the silent house.

"You won't have the ring back, Li-san," Sakura leaned in towards Yelan and smirked, the glint in her eyes was that was total dislike. "It doesn't belong to you now; Syaoran-kun gave it to _me_."

"Sakura," Touya warned and started to pull her back to her seat. "Give her back the ring and everything will be settled peacefully. That's the best for all of us."

"You don't know what is best for me," Sakura hissed back without looking at him, keeping her gaze straight on her rude guest.

"I repeat," Yelan cleared her throat and spoke up again. "Return the ring and stop seeing my son."

"Then I will say it again," Sakura broke free of Touya's restraining hands and lurched forward. "The ring belongs to me now. You have no claim to it."

_Smack!_

Sakura did not see it coming as her guest was fast. Her head had snapped sideway from the impact of the slap across her left cheek. Not ready to give up the fight, her face broke into a grin as she ignored the pain on her cheek.

"I wonder what my stupid son sees in you," Yelan announced as she tried to restore her calm image, which shattered at Sakura's taunting.

"I wonder about the same thing as well," Sakura mused. Her phone chose that moment to ring, shocking her with the loud ringtone. She looked guiltily at the occupants in the room before excusing herself to answer the phone.

Frowning at the unfamiliar number reflected on the screen, Sakura debated for a second if she should answer it. She turned to look at the group of people in the living room and noticed that they had started talking again in hushed voices that she could not catch their conversation. Sighing, she turned her attention back to her phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" Sakura spoke hesitatingly and blinked at the voice that replied her.

"I knew my mother is at your place," Syaoran's terse voice came from her phone. She noted that he sounded out of breath. "Don't agree to whatever she requests."

"How did you…"

"Open your door," Syaoran interrupted her question.

With the mobile phone still at her ear, Sakura obediently unlocked her front door and gasped aloud. Syaoran was standing at the door, slightly panting and sweating from exertion. Sakura watched as he ended the call and stuffed his phone into his back pocket before reaching out to pull her towards him. She could only squeak in response as Syaoran hugged her tightly.

The doorway was not visible from the living room but Touya must have heard the little commotion at the entrance and came over to investigate. "Sakura is anything wrong?" he started to ask but broke off when he saw the couple and then steam started bursting out from his head at the scene. "What are you doing here?"

Syaoran pressed her closer to him as he started a glaring contest with her brother. From her position, with her ear at his chest, she could hear his frantic heartbeat._ He must have ran all the way here upon hearing the news of his mother's arrival_, Sakura thought with a smile and felt the warmth spreading to her cheeks. She closed her eyes and reveled in his comforting embrace.

"Where is she?" Syaoran asked. There was a hard edge in his tone and she could feel that he had some bad feelings towards his own mother.

"In the living room," Sakura had answered, her voice muffled against his hard chest. His grip on her tightened suddenly and Sakura felt a sudden change in his demeanor. It was as if he had frozen on the spot.

"Sakura-chan?" she heard her father called out and she turned to find that the group had gathered at the entranceway and staring at them in disbelief. Embarrassed at being caught in this position, Sakura tried to disentangle herself from Syaoran but it only result in tightening of his hug.

Syaoran gently pushed Sakura to his side and switched to holding her right hand in his instead and made a formal bow to Fujitaka, who looked pointedly at their joined hands, before turning to focus on his mother with a glare. "What are you doing here?" Syaoran bit out. His glare intensified when his mother stubbornly remained silent.

"She came for the ring," Sakura whispered to him. She knew her answer surprised her because he turned to look at her immediately.

She saw the way his breath was caught in his throat and the way his hands squeezed hers when he took a good look at her. Sakura raised a brow in confusion at his response until he reached out to touch her cheek, which still sting when touched.

"Who did this?" He asked even though he already had an answer in his mind. Her family would never have done such a crude thing like slapping her. He had converse them before when Sakura was injured. He knew from the way they talked that they were very concerned and protective of her and hence, would never raise their hands against her. "Who?" Syaoran repeated darkly.

Sakura glanced at Yelan and found that she was looking at them disapprovingly with a frown. "I'm really all right," Sakura tried, suddenly wishing that Syaoran and his mother were on good terms, even though she was rude to her. After all, she did not want to estrange mother and son any further.

"Sakura…" Syaoran warned darkly. A slight tingle shook her body at his use of her name in such an intimate way. Besides her family and Tomoyo, nobody had called her by her given name.

"Please get her to return our Royal ring," Yelan interrupted nonchalantly. "I won't pursue the matter any further once the ring has returned to its rightful owner."

"Sakura is the new owner of the ring," Syaoran took a threatening step forward. "I gave it to her."

Yelan gasped at the audacity of her son. "How dare you?" Yelan huffed angrily. "You cannot give it to her without my _permission_! That makes me the current owner of the ring! You have no right to give it to anyone!"

Syaoran's shoulders started to shake and Sakura looked at him in alarm. "Syaoran-kun?" She tested him, tugging on their hands to get his attention and was surprised when he burst out laughing hard.

"I can't believe this," Syaoran managed to croak out as he ruffled his messy hair in exasperation. "I don't see any reason for you to be so crazy about the Royal ring; you no longer have a right over it. It belongs to me the moment I am born."

"But I'm your _mother_!"

"Mother?" Syaoran snorted and there was a flicker of pain that flashed across his handsome face. Sakura was looking at him throughout the whole banter and did not fail to notice it. "How can it be? Does a mother abandon her child for eight years in a foreign country without any form of communication? I sincerely doubt so."

Sakura's eyes widened at the declaration and turned to stare at Yelan in open-mouthed disbelief. Yelan sputtered and found that she was at a loss of words to her son's accusations. Without any warning, Syaoran turned on his heel and left the house, dragging behind him despite protests from Touya.

"I'll be fine with him," Sakura called back and gave her brother an apologetic look. Somehow, she felt that Syaoran needed her presence by his side and furthermore, she could not leave him alone after she saw the dejected look on his face after the verbal fight with his mother.

* * *

Syaoran was unusually quiet as he pulled Sakura along. Sakura's forehead was creased with a worried frown. Even though she had not known Syaoran for very long, she knew instantly something was bothering him but she just let him drag her to wherever he was going to without protests.

To her surprise, he stopped at the neighbouring King Penguin park, the one where the slide was made of a giant blue penguin structure with a cute golden crown at the top of its head. This brought back many pleasant memories for Sakura as she recalled playing frequently in the vicinity with her family when her mother was still around.

Syaoran sat down at the nearest bench overseeing the entire playground. Seeing that he has no plan to let go of her hand, Sakura plopped down beside him on the bench and stared ahead, waiting for him to speak up. Minutes become hours and soon it was already evening time. The park was mostly deserted now since many has already left home for dinner and this added one more worry to Sakura's already troubled mind.

_I wonder if they are waiting for me for dinner, _Sakura thought. _I hope not. I can't leave Syaoran-kun like this…_

Sakura sneaked a peek at Syaoran through the corner of her eyes and found a brooding expression on his face. Her heart clenched at seeing him in this dejected form and Sakura squeezed his hand unconsciously causing him to jerk his gaze towards her in surprise, as if he had just known that she was beside him.

"Are you feeling better?" Sakura asked quietly and she searched her gaze for something she herself did not know.

Syaoran blinked at her question and then smiled warmly at her, his gaze softening on hers, touched by her concern. Sakura's heart skipped a beat and then there were butterflies fluttering about in her stomach. "Yeah," he replied and pulled her closer to him so that he could press a lingering kiss to her forehead, earning him a pinklish hue on her cheeks. Syaoran chuckled at her response.

It took Sakura several moments to recover and the instant she did, she fumbled within her uniform for the necklace and then undid the clasp. Syaoran looked on with interest as he watched Sakura remove the ring and then gave it to him.

"Here," Sakura said as she pressed the ring into his palm. "I think it is best to return it back to you. After all, your mother is looking for it too."

"I will not take it back," Syaoran reiterated and reached for her left hand and slid the ring back onto her uncooperative finger. "And every time you try to return the ring back to me, I will put it back on till you understand what I mean."

"But your mother disapproves."

"She doesn't need to approve; she is not the one who is going to be with you. I don't need her approval to be with someone I like," Syaoran said.

"It isn't about your mother," Sakura argued and then sighed. "It's about _us_."

"Us?" Syaoran raised a brow at that. "What about us?"

"We just met very recently and still don't know anything about each other," Sakura explained patiently. "We are going a little too fast, are we not?"

"We can opt for a long engagement if that is what you want," Syaoran relented. At Sakura's open-mouthed stare, he added sheepishly. "As long as you are willing to stay with me, I will be very happy."

"Wh-Why do you like me?" Sakura asked hesitantly, a little bashful at her sudden burst of straightforwardness. "I mean… I am obviously not as good as those pretty girls in your school… So… I am not good enough for you."

"Don't you dare compare yourself to them!" Syaoran exclaimed angrily at the thought of it. "You are different from them. Totally different."

"So… you like girls who are different from those in your school?" Sakura asked teasingly. She was happy to hear Syaoran's inner thoughts regarding her so she decided to press on. "Do you?"

Syaoran gave her a pointed look. "You know exactly what I mean."

"No I don't," Sakura countered and then stuck a tongue out at him, earning her a chuckle and a slight pinch on her cheek. "Tell me!" Sakura pouted.

"It's late. You should go home soon," Syaoran suddenly announced and stood up abruptly, finally letting go of Sakura's hands and then started striding away.

Sakura was watching Syaoran with gleaming eyes as she tried to hide her excitement and girlish giggles; she had managed to make Syaoran blush madly. _This is the first time I see him blush! He's just so… gorgeous, even when he is blushing._

Syaoran suddenly stopped a distance away and turned back to look at Sakura, who was frozen on the bench. He stared at her as he waited her to move. She caught his meaning when he crooked a finger. Sakura hurriedly jumped off the bench and then closed the distance between them, linking her arms through his as they made their way home together.

Unknown to them, someone has been tailing them in secret.

* * *

**Acks! I seem to like leaving cliffhanger to the readers. *sheepish laugh***

**So how was it? I uploaded this chapter as soon as I finish typing it. Inspiration struck and thought to finish it within a short time. Hope you like it.**

**Hmm... Will I hit a 200+ review? Looking forward to it!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 14**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**November 19, 2011**_

* * *

The day started as per usual for Sakura. Her family members were used to the loud noises emanating from her room the second she woke up. They would only wince inwardly whenever Sakura let out a booming shriek when she realized that she would be late. Through years of first-hand experience, their efforts to try to wake the only female in the house early always proved futile and they eventually gave up trying. This was part of their daily life.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Sakura chanted anxiously as she thumped down the stairs while trying to fix her appearance at the same time. It proved disastrous when she had to keep an eye on her steps while buttoning up her school blazer and accidentally tripped on her own footing and went tumbling down the last few steps of the stairs with a cry of alarm.

Touya snickered at the amusing sight and gloated over his sister's misfortune. "No wonder I can feel an earthquake just now. So it was due to the impact from _your_ fall," he commented with a smirk. He suddenly dodged left in his seat at the dining table when Sakura hurled a small object at him. It landed with a small thud when it slammed against the wall behind Touya and he identified it as one of her hair ornaments.

"I'm not a monster!" Sakura screeched as she picked herself up from the floor and stomped the remaining distance to the dining table and sat beside Touya, where her delicious pancakes were waiting for her. Her father never failed to bring a smile to her face every morning with her favourite dishes. "I am already all grown up, _big monster_," she bit out, still a little annoyed at the gleeful Touya.

"Once a monster, always a monster," Touya playfully sang his words to a tune and Sakura rolled her eyes heavenwards, exasperated at the childishness in her brother.

"I wish you will grow up faster," she commented. "For a well known model to behave like a child, I'm sure the paparazzi would fly into a frenzy to get an article on this. I bet no girls out there knew the playful side of Tooki-kun."

Touya blanched at the mention of his idol name and then he shrugged, "They can if they could but I prefer not to show it to them. Had enough of the screaming whenever I am out of the house."

Sakura giggled, "Never thought that you will be sick of screaming lady fans; you need them for your job. It is still a wonder to me that nobody has ever bothered to tail you all the way back home ever since you stepped into the industry for a few years already. Still enjoying your privacy, I can see."

"His manager is kind to let me stay at his own house instead of some rented apartment his agency tried to get him to stay," their father answered as he sat down to have his breakfast, after cleaning up the kitchen. "Nothing beats being about to stay at our own home."

"And I get to see the little monster every day," Touya grinned.

"Oh please," Sakura drawled in between mouthfuls of pancakes. "I'm hardly pleasing to look at. I wouldn't wish to be the cause of your poor appetite or indigestion and fear the wrath of your female fans every day."

"They wouldn't be able to find their way here," Touya stated with pride. "I haven't been an idol for nothing. So, we can live our normal lives peacefully in this little town where no paparazzi can find me. Besides, I am hardly that famous."

"Hardly that famous?" Sakura repeated with a scoff. "Stop kidding me. I see your big face in every fashion magazine I happen to flip through and you said that you are not famous? Stop joking, onii-chan."

"Hah! I can run across the town stark naked and nobody would even notice."

Sakura made a disgusted face. "Ew, that's gross and stop that; you are ruining my appetite for the whole week."

Touya laughed and ruffled Sakura's difficult to tame but already tidied hair. She let out an indignant protest as he messed up her hair. "Time for me to meet my manager," Touya announced as he put away the dirty plates in the dishwasher. "We have got a few photo shoots today."

"Just go and stop messing up my hair," Sakura retorted as she dodged Touya's attempt to mess with her hair again, slapping his hands away forcefully.

"Have a safe trip," Fujitaka said with a gentle smile on his face, prompting his son to smile back at him. "And remember to have regular meals too!"

"I'll be sure to do that, otou-san," Touya replied and reached over the sofa to retrieve his bag and slung it over his shoulder with ease.

Sakura continued to grumble about how annoying older brothers could be and how unfortunate for her to be suffering under the hands of the said brothers. "The only benefit about having an older brother is that he cares about you," Sakura concluded with a clenched fist that made her look a little comical. Fujitaka had to suppress his chuckles at the cuteness of his grown up daughter. "That's what it only is!"

Both daughter and father turned to watch in shock from their location in the dining room as Touya tumbled through the entranceway and back into the house after slamming the door shut. Disbelief etched deeply into the face as he continued to stare at the door.

"Touya-kun?" Fujitaka started, concerned about his son. He had never seen a panic-stricken Touya in his whole life. As a father, he knew his son was always calm and collected and hence, he was totally unprepared to see Touya in this disoriented state. "What's wrong?" By then, Sakura had come forward to take a curious look at the situation, ignoring the heavily breathing Touya. She frowned at the loud buzzing noises beyond the door.

Without sparring a glance at her brother, since her father was tending to him, Sakura opened the door slightly at dared a peek outside the house to see what has caused such a drastic reaction from her brother. That was when Touya shouted out a warning, albeit a little too late. "Don't open!"

Surprised by his sudden outburst, Sakura took a step back to look at him but at the same time, left the door wide open and afforded her the entire view of her front lawn and beyond their gates. Bright flashes of light blinded her everywhere, creating little dark spots in her vision. She used the back of her hand to daintily block them out and squinted at the source to determine what it was.

She stared in open-mouthed shock at the throngs of people with cameras in their hands. The flashes went into frenzy mode the moment they spotted her at the open doorway. She thought she heard something about the Prince from Royal High School before Touya pulled her back into the house and barricading the door firmly, just in case the people outside went hysterical and came rushing into the house.

"What was that?" Sakura asked, wide-eyed and pointing at the door.

Touya ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign of irritation and confusion at the situation. "I don't know what is going on outside but I do know that it is best for us to stay _inside_ until we know what the situation is. In times like this, the best way to check is to turn on the television."

Fujitaka was already standing in front of their television set, his eyes glued to the news channel being broadcasted live. Sakura had a bad feeling when she saw herself clearly on the screen of their television and the heading on the screen did not help to improve the situation.

_A romantic relationship between the successor of the Li Enterprise and this girl-next-door? What is her relationship between Li Syaoran and world's famous model, Tooki, whom we found together in her house? _

Then there some photographs of Sakura and Syaoran being displayed on the screen as well as a video-recording of the two of them at the King Penguin Park just yesterday night. "Oh my goodness," Sakura breathed out. "How did they manage to do that?"

"The power of paparazzi and reporters," Touya growled at the image of the guy being at such a close distance to his sister. Then the screen flashed back to a recording of the festival play where Syaoran had suddenly turned out as the prince in the play. "What the…"

Sakura looked on in horror at the scene where the princess was kissed awake and knew Touya had seen clearly what had actually taken place.

"_Will you marry me?"_

There was a sudden pause in which Sakura had looked at the side of the stage for help and clarification and then…

"_Yes."_

Sakura hurriedly leapt forward and used her body to shield the television screen, knowing what would be shown next, while blushing madly. Touya's eyes narrowed when cheers erupted from the television set and coupled with Sakura's reaction, it did not take much for him to guess what had happened.

_A marriage proposal from Li Syaoran during a festival play together with Kinomoto Sakura. Is it to be treated as a real marriage proposal or was it just for play? Stay tune as we bring you more information!_

Touya was openly seething in anger and his clenched fists trembled in an effort not to do anything rash, like rushing out to beat the offending guy into a bloody pulp for daring to come near his sister. "Chaste kiss my foot," he almost shouted at his sister and he watched her cringe in response with a sense of satisfaction.

Sakura shot a pleading look towards Fujitaka, who took pity on her plight. "We need to solve the problem at hand," he suggested with a pointed look at the entranceway. "How will we be able to exit from the house without them tailing us?"

"I can't go out," Touya sighed. "It will make the matter much worse than it already is now."

"So they wanted more information from me…" Sakura started and then gulped when the two men shot warning glances at her. "What? I wasn't going to try anything silly such as parading myself in front of those crazed paparazzi and reporters! Absolutely not!"

The ringing of her mobile phone interrupted her declaration. She blinked in surprise at Tomoyo's number on the display and hurriedly picked up the call.

"Sakura-chan, I just saw the news!" came Tomoyo's voice. "How are you faring there?"

"Not good… The paparazzi and reporters are blocking the only exit and we are all trapped in the house," Sakura replied and then checked the windows for people at their gate. She sighed when they were still where they were moments ago. "It seems like they will be staying here until I go out or something…"

"That's a bad idea!" Tomoyo's sharp voice pierced through her eardrum and she had to pull her mobile phone a distance away from her now ringing ears. "That's suicidal! Image is everything, Sakura-chan. If you go out there unprepared, you are going to get thrashed badly. Let the professionals do it."

Sakura blinked. "Professionals? What professionals?"

"Just leave it to me," Tomoyo's confident voice assured. "You will be out of the house in no time."

Sakura checked her watch. There was still a good hour to go before her school starts which meant that she has another 45 minutes to outrun these crazy people loitering outside their gate. Since Tomoyo said that she could handle the situation, Sakura trusted her and waited patiently for miracles to happen after they ended their call.

There were shouts for her outside the house. She gritted her teeth in annoyance while many thoughts went through her over-used brain. _How did they manage to catch Syaoran and me at the park? It is not as if we planned to go there initially and even onii-chan and otou-chan didn't know where we were going, so how did they know? So many questions yet there are no logical answers… This is so frustrating!_

Suddenly, there was a huge uproar outside her house. All the occupants in the house rushed to the windows to take a look at what was happening. There was a huge swarm of people in black suits forcing their way to make a long chain of human barrier right in front of their gates. What shocked them the most was that the paparazzi and reporters were actually fleeing the scene in a rush as if those people in black suits were serial murderers.

Sakura clapped in glee at the scene and jumped away from the window cheerfully. "Tomoyo-chan to the rescue!"

"Now's my chance to leave before they come back again," Touya remarked as he hurriedly picked up his forgotten bag and left the house. "My manager is going to be so angry after this morning's episode. Sakura, you had better be more careful in school."

"That's a tough one…" Sakura groaned when she thought of all the girls in her school. It did not matter who they were rooting for, Syaoran or Tooki. What matters was that she was just made the great enemy of the two greatest fan club ever.

_I'm so going to get killed in school…_

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**That's it for Chapter 14! Are you looking forward to Chapter 15 already? What do you think will happen next?**_  
_


	15. Chapter 15

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 15**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**December 3, 2011**_

* * *

Sakura checked the time on her mobile phone and was dismayed to see that she was going to be late. By this time, most of the students would have already settled down in class for the morning lesson. However, thinking on the positive side, that would mean that Sakura would not have to deal with them bombarding her with insults at the school gate. For that reason alone, she was really grateful.

She hastened her steps in a half-hearted manner. Part of her wanted to reach her school as fast as possible, the other part of her dreaded what would happen while she was stuck in there for most of the day. Sakura sighed aloud and smacked her own cheeks loudly to wash away all the negative thoughts away. After all, things may not be as bad as she had thought.

A big group of people were loitering in front of her school gates and Sakura's eyes widened upon seeing them and she had to hide behind one of the trees a distance away from the entrance to avoid being caught on their cameras.

_What should I do? If I don't go in now, I'll be late for class! But if I charge into the school like this, the paparazzi will be sure to videotape me! _

She began pacing behind the tree, trying very hard to come up with a viable solution to enter the school compound without being noticed. Once she was in there, she would then be protected by the school's security and she would not have to worry about the annoying paparazzi anymore.

"Over there!" A man suddenly shouted and Sakura froze in her action and was suddenly filled with dread, thinking that she was being caught.

She watched in open-mouthed shock as the big group of paparazzi, with their equipment, went running away to the other direction, leaving a trail of dust at their wake. Puzzled, Sakura squinted her eyes at the distance, trying to see who exactly they were chasing when their object of interest was currently hiding behind the tree. It seems that they were chasing after a girl, whose hair had the same shade of auburn as her. Sakura suddenly felt apologetic towards the innocent girl who had unwittingly became her scapegoat of some sorts.

The crowd was gone in a matter of seconds and Sakura made use of this rare chance to dash straight into the school. She breathed heavily from exertion at running such long distance at such high speeds once she reached to a halt at her locker.

"That was… exhausting…" Sakura muttered breathlessly as she reached out to open her locker so that she could change into her school's indoor shoes and was dismayed by what she saw inside.

Her shoes were there inside her locker all right and the things stuffed inside her shoes made her cringe in response. Crushed packet drink remains, used tissue, food crumbs and some unidentifiable slimy stuff decorated her indoor shoes. Sakura wanted to bang her head against the lockers at such treatment from her schoolmates.

_How did the news spread so fast? It was just on the news a little earlier… And how did they manage take action even faster?_

Sighing, Sakura had no choice but to remove the shoes from her locker reluctantly and hide it an arm's length away from her body. She dumped the contents inside her shoes into the garbage bin and trotted to the washroom to have her shoes cleaned.

No matter how much she tried to squeeze her indoor shoes dry, it would still drip water. Without bothering to try any further, Sakura slipped her feet inside her wet indoor shoes and hurried to her class, ignoring the wet squeaking sounds her shoes made. She prayed her classmates would not notice her when she slipped inside the class.

Sakura tried the backdoor and heaved a sigh of relief when she found it unlocked. She carefully slid the door open, making sure to minimize any creak that the door would made. She mentally pumped her fists into the air in a series of victory dances when she managed to enter the class without any disturbance to the class. Her homeroom teacher, Minori-sensei, had discreetly motioned her to her seat and Sakura was eternally grateful for her understanding.

What captured her attention when she was seated down was a new guy in her class. There was no chance that she could have missed it when he was just sitting two tables away, with Tomoyo in between them. His hair was an interesting shade of natural dark blue and a stylish spectacle graced his face. He turned his head towards her when he felt his stare and nodded at her with a smile in acknowledgement.

"Who is he?" Sakura whispered to Tomoyo, who was so focused in her lesson that it took a few moments to process her cousin's question.

"Him?" Tomoyo repeated and then turned her head to look at their topic of focus, who in turned winked back at both ladies. Tomoyo had to suppress an unladylike snort at the poor attempt of flirtation and promptly ignored him. "His name is Hiiragizawa Eriol from England. No other information on him besides being a new transfer student today."

"Transfer student?" Sakura asked and frowned. Transfer students were pretty rare in their school even though their school was not even considered a prestigious school. "From another school?"

"You will have to ask him for that," Tomoyo retorted in annoyance. "I don't quite like him at all. He's creeping me out with all that staring."

Sakura nudged Tomoyo playfully, "Maybe he is interested in you!"

"As if," her cousin replied. "Could you please concentrate on the class and leave him out of our conversation?"

"As you wish," Sakura replied with a shrug. In her mind, she was already planning some questions that she would ask Eriol regarding Tomoyo. However, the fact that Tomoyo dislike Eriol so vehemently must have implied something. Perhaps Eriol did something that displeases Tomoyo? Sakura would have to investigate further.

_This is getting interesting!_

Sakura was having lunch together with Tomoyo in their school garden to avoid any hostile female confrontation in class when she happened to see Eriol walking aimlessly around. A devilish glint lit up in her eyes as she waved frantically at him to catch his attention, which he did and turned to smile at them, much to Tomoyo's annoyance. The latter gasped in dismay when Eriol began trotting up to them.

"Why did you do that?" Tomoyo hurriedly asked before Eriol reached them. "You know I don't like him; I told you just now in class!"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"He seems like a nice chap to me," Sakura mused and then smiled when Eriol reached the duo.

"Good afternoon ladies," Eriol greeted them gallantly, the kind smile still etched on his face. "Enjoying your lunch?"

"We are just getting started," Sakura replied cheerfully, pointing to their bento boxes. "Would you like to join us?"

Tomoyo gasped in protest and exclaimed, "Sakura-chan!"

"It's going to be all right, Tomoyo-chan. The more the merrier, isn't it?" Sakura assured.

"But he…"

Sakura patted on the empty spot in front of them and signaled Eriol to sit down and join them, which he did. "Have you taken your lunch?" Sakura asked, ignoring Tomoyo completely, much to her anger.

"Just some light snacks to fill my stomach," Eriol replied. "But don't worry; they are enough to last me throughout the day until lessons are over."

When Sakura saw that Eriol intended to reject her offer to join them for lunch, she hastily added, "I have some refreshments for all three of us. We could enjoy some chat over tea, if you don't mind."

Then she winced when Tomoyo pinched her side. Sakura turned to glare at her cousin, who in turn was spitting daggers at her.

"Well… If you insist," Eriol finally gave in and sat down cross-legged in front of them and accepted a cup from Sakura, who poured some hot green tea for him eagerly. She was really pleased that he had accepted her offer. "Delicious," he commented after a few sips.

Sakura beamed. "My father specially brewed them! His tea is always very yummy."

"That is good to hear. You must be very close to your father," Eriol observed.

"Naturally, since he is the only parent I am left with. My mother died when I was three but I still have my father, brother and Tomoyo-chan! So I am not lonely or anything like that."

"I'm glad that you took everything positively," Eriol replied earnestly. "I take it that the both of you are family of some sorts. Cousins?"

"You are right!" Sakura chirped. "You are so clever! You guessed it right at the first guess!"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes beside her at that statement. Eriol caught her look and she blushed at being thought of being rude. "Sakura-chan tends to get a little too excited over every little thing," Tomoyo explained, trying to cover up the real reason for her reaction.

"I do not!" Sakura protested and then covered her mouth when she realized she was shouting. She then scratched the back of her head sheepishly but froze when she saw a group of three girls heading towards their small group.

Tomoyo, who also noticed the same thing, stiffened on the ground and watch that group warily. This did not go unnoticed to Eriol, who had his back faced towards the group.

"Can we talk to you for a few moments?" The tallest of the group asked, directing her question straight to Sakura without even acknowledging her friends or even giving a friendly greeting.

"Sakura-chan is currently having her lunch now," Tomoyo interrupted and became the recipient of three deadly glares. She gulped and shrank back to her seat.

Sakura patted Tomoyo's shoulders and assured her, "It's all right. I will just go and hear what they have to say to me. I will be back soon."

"But Sakura-chan…"

"I will be fine, Tomoyo-chan."

Then she went off with the group of girls, with Tomoyo staring at them worriedly. Eriol got up from the ground and excused himself politely, saying that he had to go off to somewhere before lunch break was over. Tomoyo nodded and watched him go off too. Strangely, he was heading towards the same direction the girls were heading to earlier.

Sakura followed the girls to the swimming pool area where it was less conspicuous. She made sure to stay away from the pool as far as possible for she was not a good swimmer and the pool was very deep. She jumped when one of them spoke up, her voice thunder loud in such an open area.

"I am sure you know why we called you out."

"Yes, but not hundred percent sure," Sakura replied, watching them warily and took an unwilling step closer to the pool, with her back facing it when they came far too close to her for comfort. Was it her imagination or did they just try get her to get close to the waters?

"How did you get so close to him?" The tallest girl asked again.

"Which _him_?" Sakura asked back and then gulped at the exact angry expressions on the three faces. Their expression had turned ugly.

"How did you get so close to the Prince? Did you have spy is Royal High? Is that how you get to know him?"

"I knew him by chance."

"By chance?" she scoffed. "I can hardly believe that."

"What about Tooki-kun?" Another asked. "Who exactly are you trying to hook?"

"Well… This is kind of awkward," Sakura said and fidgeted, trying to get comfortable in such a difficult situation. She could never tell them the real relationship between her and Tooki as it would endanger his image. "I… er… Kind of knew him all my life."

The three girls gasped and Sakura had to hide her smile at their funny reaction. "You are two-timing them!" The tallest shouted and slapped Sakura across her cheek. She had not anticipate that and hence, did not had enough time to dodge the attack.

The slap came at her too forcefully then she stumbled back and subsequently lost her footing. She went plunging into the deep clear blue waters. Fear clawed at her as she fought her way to the surface and her legs could not reach the almost bottomless pit. Terrified, she began to thrash around in the waters and shouting for help.

_I'm going to die! I'm going to die!_

Sakura took in mouthfuls of water while trying to get her breath back from that precious few seconds above water and ended up choking on it. Tears burned her eyes, or was it the water from the pool, and Sakura began to lose hope. If the girls had meant to help her, they would have pulled her up much earlier than now.

_So… this is how… it… feels to… die…_

Then, she felt weightless and then nothing at all.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 16**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**December 23, 2011**_

* * *

Her lungs felt full and the burning sensation within it spread like wildfire through her whole upper chest area. Someone was pounding of her chest pretty hard and it hurt immensely. Her initial response was to gag and then she broke into an endless fits of coughing that seem to rock her whole body and she was… throwing up?

"Thank goodness she came through," someone in between sniffles and then it broke into a wail. In the next instant, her head was being cradled and it took a few more moments to register that somebody was actually hugging her.

A masculine voice was heard next and Sakura frowned, trying to recall what had happened in the middle of choking non-stop. "She's really lucky I happen to pass by the pool. I shudder to think what would happen if I hadn't done so."

The bright ball of light in the sky was blinding her and effectively preventing her from opening her eyes. Somehow, she felt rather tired and would happily return to her sleep but some nagging thoughts refused to let her rest. She squinted at the person holding her and smiled weakly when she saw it was Tomoyo.

"To-moyo… chan…" she croaked and was surprised when her voice turned out faint and hoarse. That was when she realized she was laying prone of the cold hard ground and totally drenched to the core. No wonder she was shivering from the chills.

As if knowing what she wanted to ask, Tomoyo hurriedly replied, "You were out for a few moments back then. I thought you were gone… Those girls… Don't ever let me see them again or else I will skin them alive for doing such a horrible act to you. They dared to push my dearest Sakura-chan into the pool and most probably knowing that you don't know how to swim."

Eriol appeared above Tomoyo and droplets of water were dripping from his hair. He, too, was drenched. Sakura automatically assumed that he had jumped into the pool to pull her out. She was grateful for his help. Struggling to sit up proved futile when Tomoyo was still clinging onto her and she was still too weak from her near death experience. Hence, she remained meekly still in Tomoyo's arms as she smiled up at her savior.

"I think it is best we move her to the Nurse's office," Eriol suggested as he crouched down and waited for Tomoyo's response. When the green light was given, Tomoyo shifted and allowed him access to Sakura. Sakura said nothing when Eriol lifted her into his arms and requested Tomoyo to show him the directions to the Nurse's office.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered feebly. Eriol looked down at her, a little surprised, but nevertheless kept the kind smile on his face and nodded his head in acknowledgement of her thanks.

"It's my duty," he told her. "I will be dead if anything really bad happens to you. So you can imagine my shock and panic when I see you drowning in the pool."

Sakura winced; her head swam whenever she tried to think through the thick haze in her mind. She was trying hard to understand what Eriol was saying to her, something about being dead and then a wave of familiarity washed through her, which she could not exactly pinpoint whatever it was.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Eriol pretended to think for a moment before he pacified her with an answer that did not really address her question. "Most probably."

Sakura did not press any further; it hurt her chest to talk. By then, they had already reached the nurse's office and the trio bustled inside, much to the shock of the nurse on duty. The nurse's eyes almost bulged out when she spotted the drenched Eriol and Sakura and she was beside them almost immediately, directing Eriol to put Sakura on one of the empty beds.

"My goodness, what happened to the both of you?" The nurse asked.

Eriol eyed the name tag above the nurse's chest pocket and gave her a wry look. "Ninomiya-sensei, do you still need to ask when it is all so obvious? She fell into the pool and I jumped in to pull her out. That's why we are here."

Ninomiya-sensei rushed to the cupboard in the corner of the room, a six feet tall grey and rusty cupboard from the looks of it, and pulled out two sets of clothing into her arms. She also pulled out two towels from the cupboard as an afterthought. She passed one set to Eriol and placed the other side on the small bedside cupboard beside Sakura's bed.

"You," Ninomiya-sensei said, pointing to Eriol. "Change into the spare uniform before the chills get to you."

Eriol raised his eyes a little at the authoritative voice the nurse was using. His dry sarcasm did not seem to elicit any response from the stern looking nurse with small dainty glasses on the bridge of her nose and her graying hair tied up into a small bun behind her head. "Yes Madam!" was all he said before he whisked off to the nearest washroom with the bundle in his hands.

The nurse turned to Sakura and made some clicking sound with her tongue. She held the towel to Sakura, who has already pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. The latter accepted the towel and began drying her hair with it. "Will you be able to handle by yourself?" Ninomiya-sensei asked, looking at Sakura and indicating towards the bundle of uniform on the cupboard.

"I believe so," Sakura wheezed out and then promptly sneezed. It wrecked havoc within her body and sent her into another coughing fits to expel the remaining water from within her. Sakura watched as Ninomiya-sensei pulled the dividing curtain in between the beds so that she was enclosed alone within the protection of the opaque curtains in which she could change.

"Change into the dry uniform while I make you some warm drinks," Ninomiya-sensei called out to Sakura and then turned her attention to the quivering mass left standing in her office that was Tomoyo. "You looked like you need a drink to calm your nerves too. Sit down and relax, dear."

Tomoyo nodded and walked shakily to one of the cushioned chairs near the bed that Sakura was in. She unconsciously clutched her hands together on her lap as she tried to control her panic attack. She vividly recalled what had happened prior to witnessing the startling scene of Eriol performing CPR on a death-like Sakura. She had been a little worried about Sakura being left alone with three brainless fan girls and had left to follow her a few moments after Eriol had made his departure. Hearing a loud splash near the pool, Tomoyo automatically thought of the worst since nobody ever swam during lunchtime and the scene she witnessed still ate at her whole being. Then the rest was a blur until now; she had just blindly placed her trust in Eriol, who remained steadfast in that horrifying situation.

Tomoyo suddenly wondered what would happen if Eriol was not around.

A steaming mug suddenly appeared in her line of vision and it was filled with hot chocolate drink. She accepted the cup from Ninomiya-sensei with a murmur of thanks and began sipping on the hot drink. The warm liquid trickled down her throat and she eased a soft sigh at the feeling. She looked up and found Sakura being swallowed up by the cushions and thick blankets on the bed with a mug in her hands. She was carefully sipping on her drink with shaky hands and Ninomiya-sensei was trying her best to keep Sakura warm.

"The ambulance should be here any moments now," Ninomiya-sensei announced and Tomoyo jerked her eyes to the nurse in horror. Both ladies jump when they heard a clash at the bed; Sakura had dropped the cup and the drinks has spilt on the bed covers and mostly on the floor.

"No…" She started protesting and shaking her head at the prospect of stepping into a hospital. "I don't wish to go to the hospital."

"Sakura-chan, don't be like this," Tomoyo pleaded by her bed side.

"Like what? I'm not going to some place that can't even cure my mother's sickness. Not this time, not ever!"

"Don't play with your life like this, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo tried again.

Sakura let out an irritated sigh. "I'm all right now. See? Though I almost drowned, Hiiragizawa-kun managed to save me in the nick of the time. I am still in one good piece; there's no need for me to be hospitalized and I don't want to worry my family."

"Kinomoto-san, please go to the hospital," Eriol's voice rang in the room and Sakura jumped in fright at the angry tone. He strode into the room with a towel hanging over his shoulder and his wet clothing in one hand. "I saved your life, not to have you dying over some near drowning complications later on."

"I said I am fine!" Sakura shouted and regretted her actions, for she started coughing.

"You may look fine now but you have been unconscious for some time by the pool. We do not know what that will do to your body. I don't want to save you and then see you die from whatever side effects. Just go to the hospital, have a body check-up and we'll see how it goes from there. Deal?"

Sakura looked at him doubtfully and that was when Ninomiya-sensei decided to step in. "What Hiiragizawa-kun says is true. If we are not careful and if you happen to develop some symptoms later, you may really lose your life. Won't that even make your family much sadder?"

"Furthermore, you will definitely save one life by going to the hospital," Eriol added. "Would you please safe my life? Having you in a near-death situation is going to get me killed if he had his way with me."

"What are you talking about?" Tomoyo asked on her cousin's behalf, seeing her befuddled expression.

Eriol sighed and decided it was time to come clean with everything. "I am actually from Royal High School. The reason I am here? Simple." He looked pointedly at Sakura. "To protect you, on behalf of Syaoran. The only reason he could not be here was because of the paparazzi and his desire to protect you from them. Imagine if he was here, there would be more paparazzi flying around you and the whole situation could turn ugly. That is why he sent me, his kind cousin, to protect you in his stead."

"So that's what you are hiding?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

"Only that," Eriol affirmed.

"Syaoran wants to protect me?" Sakura asked dreamily out of a sudden and Tomoyo had an impression that her spirit had just flown up from her body to float high up in the air. She had to resist the temptation to giggle at the jubilant expression on her cousin's face.

"That's right," Eriol replied as he pulled out his mobile phone and punched in some numbers. "Thank goodness for his foresight in sending me here. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to see you anymore."

"No wonder you look very familiar!" Sakura exclaimed. "You were at the restaurant with him!"

"That's right. Ah.. Please excuse me for a moment," Eriol told them politely and walked to the other corner of the room, talking into the phone in hushed tones but his expression revealed it all. He would cringe every now and then and had to hold his phone a distance away from his ear certain times during his conversation. Finally, he came back to them and held the phone out for Sakura. "He wants to talk to you."

"Hello?" Sakura said hesitantly as unaware of who was on the other line. Her eyes lit up in pleasant surprise when she recognized the owner. "Syaoran! Sorry to have made you worry but I'm totally fine."

"Eriol told me you fell into the pool," Syaoran countered from the phone. "I don't think that sounds all right to me."

"Ah… I will go to the hospital to have a check up just in case," Sakura assured and then blanched. "And you know how much I _hate_ going to hospitals."

"Just bear with it, Sakura," Syaoran encouraged and Sakura could feel her cheeks heat up within a microsecond when he said her name. Tomoyo looked on with interest at her cousin's expression and knew she was very taken with her prince. Sakura frowned at the long pause on the other end and then she heard Syaoran sigh. "Sakura, I'm really sorry about everything. I should have been more careful yesterday night and now you are like this because of my carelessness."

"It's nothing," Sakura protested and then she heard a scoff. "Really. Think positive and… don't think too much about what has happened. Let us look forward to whatever challenges that we may have."

"Look forward to other challenges?" he quoted and she heard him chuckle on the other line. "Does that mean that you are willing to marry me, just like what we have exchanged during the festival play?"

Sakura sputtered and then looked at both Tomoyo and Eriol frantically before murmuring some nonsensical reply and then thrusting the phone back to Eriol. That guy really knew how to unnerve her at any occasion.

"Yes, she'll be well taken care of," Eriol responded into his phone and then heaved a sigh of relief when he ended the call and shoved the phone into his pockets. He was lucky he remembered to throw the phone out of his pockets when he made a dive into the waters, otherwise he would have a hell to pay when Syaoran could not contact him.

Sakura stiffened when she heard the distinct wail of the ambulance's siren. "You won't be alone, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo tried to reassure her. "Hiiragizawa-kun and I will be tagging along to make sure everything will be fine."

Sakura returned a weak smile at her cousin's effect to soothe her and it was not working very well. Moments later, she watched with dread as the gurney rolled into the nurse's office and whisked her away to the hospital.

* * *

**Thank goodness Sakura was saved, otherwise I'll be running away from my readers for my dear life. ^_^ I've also updated Destiny Chapter 20 as part of this week's Xmas update. Hope you like them. You can visit my site for more info about my fics. Merry Christmas everyone!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 17**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**_December 31, 2011_**

* * *

Sakura jerked awake with a start and became panicky when she realized that she was in an unfamiliar environment. She sat up on the bed with the force of a hurricane and started to hyperventilate the moment she realized she was admitted into the hospital room. Alone in the room, she had no idea what was going to happen to her and many random thoughts started filtering through her head. She looked to her left and found a big window overlooking a garden and to the left, was the only entrance to the room.

_I'm in the hospital! I'm in the hospital! _Sakura cried in her head. She did not want to risk shouting and bring a horde of nurses and doctors in with their dangerous looking needles and whatever equipment that would poke into her body. She shuddered at the dreaded memory that chose a wrong timing to fill her head with negative thoughts about hospitals. Her mother had died in the hospital and it was not a pleasant sight for young Sakura; numerous machines were attached to her mother's frail body on her deathbed and the stream of nurses with the necessary injecting syringes that contained part of her mother's medication. _I need to get out of here!_

Breaking out in cold sweat, Sakura hurriedly lifted the heavy blanket off her body and thrust her feet to the ground. She scooted off the bed and broke into a run towards the only escape route but was held back when a sharp pain shot through her inner arm. Sakura winced in pain and quickly turned back to assess the situation. Her eyes widened to see that her left arm was punctured by a thin needle which in turn led to a long tubing and to a packet of clear liquid solution hung on a metal stand. What unnerved her was the needle sticking into her arm. Due to her earlier struggles, the needle was partly dislodged and blood could be seen oozing out from the tear in her skin.

Sakura slid to the floor in defeat while still staring at her new wound and felt as if the whole world had just came crashing on her. Yes, it might have sounded a little silly but Sakura had a sickening feeling that she would end up like her mother if she had stayed in the hospital. This was deeply ingrained into her since she was young and literally watched her mother progressed from a healthy to a sickly mother in a span of only a few months due to some unknown sickness related to weak heart. According to Fujitaka, her mother Nadeshiko had been sickly ever since she was young. At least she had fulfilled her wishes before passing on – all but one. Whenever Sakura tried to ask him about her last wish, he would just smile at her and pat her head gently – she never had any answers to that particular question.

The IV stand clattered to the hard white floor noisily and Sakura stared at it, trying to assimilate the reality of being in a hospital room. The hard floor felt cold to the touch and she involuntarily shivered from the cold as the hospital gown she was in was thin and provided only minimal insulation against the coldness in the room. No wonder the blanket on the bed was thick.

Tears welled up in her eyes when her thoughts returned to her late mother. She had missed her so much – the smiles, the laughter and the concern she has for the family and the joy she had brought to her. Sakura knew her mother had a weak heart and the condition had worsened considerably after giving birth to Touya and then to her but never once did she see her mother shed a tear from the suffering she knew her mother must have gone through. Sakura sucked in a breath in an effort to calm herself down.

_It's going to be all right… I'm going to be fine…_

That was when she remembered what had happened that caused her to be admitted to the hospital – the fall into the pool, Eriol's timely rescue and Syaoran's insistence that she be admitted to the hospital for observation for any adverse side effects. She heaved a sigh of relief as she combated her earlier adrenaline rush. _I'm going to be all right after all! Just have to bear with the few days of observation then I'll be gone from the hospital…_

The door behind her crashed open and Sakura jumped in fright, almost pulling the whole needle out of her arm with her reflex action, which was to whirl around to face the door, when moments earlier she was still staring at the IV stand. Sakura blinked when she saw Syaoran as he rushed into the room as if there was a raging fire outside the room and he was in a hurry to save her from it.

_Syaoran is here! I'm going to be all right! Everything is going to be all right!_

Naturally, Sakura winced in pain at the unpleasant sensation in her arm when she pulled on the IV tubing. Noticing this, Syaoran knelt down in front of her and held her injured arm in her hand to inspect the wound.

"I thought something bad has happened in the room with all that crashing sounds," Syaoran admitted with a sheepish grin when he released her hand to help her up and back into her bed, mindful of the IV tubing. He then frowned at her disapprovingly. "You shouldn't be out of the bed yet. The doctor said you needed some rest."

"Sorry…" Sakura apologized and tried to shrink into her bed under the blankets. Warmth enveloped her and she sighed at the welcome heat. She winced again when she accidentally brushed her hand with the IV against the material of the blanket while trying to snuggle deeper into its embrace.

A worried frown marred Syaoran's handsome face and somehow, Sakura's heart skipped a beat when she saw his expression. She gasped aloud and shrank further back into the bed when he suddenly leaned over her without any warning. She felt a blush creeping towards her cheeks instantly, thinking that he was going to kiss her. After all, he was leaning far too close to her for comfort; she just had to raise her head a little and she would be kissing him. Her cheeks turned a darker hue of pink when she realized he was just reaching for the alarm button on the side of the bed to call the nurse in. _I misunderstood! How embarrassing! He must have realized it as well!_

He straightened up after his task has been completed and smirked at the expression on Sakura's face. Who could have missed the obvious blush on her face? Syaoran dragged the chair beside her bed and proceeded to sit down. Sakura peeked at him from beneath her blanket, trying vainly to hide her blush.

"What were you thinking just now?" Syaoran asked teasingly and watched as her head shot under the blankets and she was not visible anymore. He leaned forward and poked her side to get a response from her. She shrieked and emerged from underneath the blankets again. She was looking at Syaoran in shock for she had not expected such an action from him.

"Nothing!" She blurted out far too quickly that gave everything away. Her hands tightened on her blankets and she could not bring herself to look at him in the eyes. She jerked when Syaoran suddenly shifted to sit beside her on her bed with an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

"There must be something," Syaoran insisted with a grin, bent on teasing the girl mercilessly. It was fun to see the play of different expressions on her face. He swooped down in the next instant to capture her lips.

Sakura could only gasp in surprise at the suddenness of his actions; she had not anticipated this and therefore was not mentally prepared for it. Unconsciously, she tilted her head slightly to allow easier access for him and sighed in contentment as Syaoran slanted his lips and pressed it firmly to hers.

Blissful.

A strangled sound could be heard in the room but it did not register in Sakura's mind until somebody actually spoke. "It seems like we are interrupting something. We can come back later."

And there was a feminine gasp.

To her disappointment, the blissful moments never last long.

Syaoran lifted his head away and smiled at the dreamy expression on Sakura's face. She was still a little dazed from the kiss and it took her quite some time to recover. Syaoran straightened to face his interruption, his face fixed with a glare at them. Ignoring his look, Eriol strolled nonchalantly into the room and did not even bother to at least try to hide the growing bruise on his face. It was turning into an ugly shade of purple, all thanks to Syaoran.

"Oh dear," Sakura exclaimed the moment she came out of her reverie and spotted Eriol and Tomoyo in her room with them. Her blush was forgotten as it was overpowered by her concern for her savior. She did not even realize that Syaoran's hand had sneaked to lace with hers on the bed, nor did she spot the calculating look on Tomoyo's face. "What happened to you, Hiiragizawa-kun?"

Eriol looked pointedly at Syaoran in response, who had the audacity to look sheepish in that instant. He snorted at Syaoran and muttered, "Saved the lady, received a punch. How nice..."

"Punched?" Sakura repeated, confused. "Who punched you?"

"None other than the person who sent me to Tomoeda High," Eriol spat and rubbed his bruised cheek gingerly. Tomoyo was beside him in an instant to press a cool handkerchief to his sore cheek. Sakura blinked at her cousin's queer action. Didn't she object to Eriol when she invited him for lunch earlier? And now she was acting real close with him. She watched as Eriol turned to smile gratefully at Tomoyo. Was it a blush she just witnessed on her cousin's face?

"The Prince?" Sakura looked questioningly at the culprit and frowned when he grinned back at her. "You punched Hiiragizawa-kun? Didn't you know that he saved me?"

"He kissed you," Syaoran said plainly as he glared at Eriol, who sighed in defeat. "And didn't I tell you to call me Syaoran again and again?"

"K-kissed me?" Sakura's face coloured as she tried to recall what had happened. Of course she could not remember for she was already unconscious even before Eriol fished her out of the pool. "I must have taken in the water and went unconscious. CPR… was necessary to save my life. Don't think too much of it."

Even Tomoyo went to his defense, "I can assure you that Eriol doesn't harbor any weird feelings towards Sakura-chan, if that is what you are worried about. He was only carrying out your orders to protect Sakura-chan."

Syaoran sighed and decided not to pursue the matter any further. After all, he already had his revenge on Eriol. Besides, having two ladies siding with Eriol would do him no good. Eriol was actually acting accordingly and Syaoran knew that he could not blame him for what he has done. Eriol had saved Sakura and that was all that matters.

"Enough of all the small talks," Sakura interrupted as her eyes widened on the clock hung in the room. It was still afternoon. "Aren't all of you supposed to be in class for lessons? And you shouldn't be here! Aren't you afraid that the paparazzi would find you here?"

Syaoran shrugged as he leaned back against the bed frame, pulling Sakura together with him and she settled comfortably beside him with a contented smile. "Skipped classes. Rushed here the moment I knew the location. And we don't need to worry about paparazzi anymore. I've settled them."

"You did?" All three of them asked simultaneously and then looked at each other in surprise at the same frequency of their thoughts. They broke out into chuckles and giggles.

"Yes. I did," Syaoran assured them. "There won't be any more ambush from any of them anymore. If they have anything to ask, they will have to go through me first."

"That's good to hear," Tomoyo added with a smile of approval at Syaoran.

"And I suppose the bullying in the school will stop too," he added. "But Hiiragizawa will still be there, just in case anything happens. At least there will be someone to protect you. After all, Kireirei had warned me about some of the things in Tomoeda High that we should be prepared for."

"The paparazzi can be settled relatively easily," Eriol agreed and then frowned at what he was about to say next. "However, it is a totally different set of problems we will be facing in school. The females in the school are actually setting up against Kinomoto-san, especially those from Li's fan club and also Tooki's fan club. It's going to be an attack from all directions. Pretty scary."

"That's why I need you there," Syaoran countered. "Since you are the one who violently disagreed to my transfer over to Tomoeda High."

"Your revenge on me," he retorted with a pout and made them all laugh.

A knock on the door silenced them immediately and Sakura sucked in a breath, wondering who it was and hoping hard that it was not the paparazzi. It turned out to be the nurse that Syaoran had called for earlier. Syaoran frowned at her for the delay in response; it was quite some time after Syaoran had pressed the alarm for the nurse. He would have something to say to the director of the hospital regarding their services.

The nurse fixed Sakura's IV drip with nimble hands and calmly announced to the group that visiting hours was over and they should leave the patient to rest. Syaoran mumbled something about not wanting to leave and wished to stay with Sakura in the hospital. Sakura blushed and chastised him for sprouting nonsense and literally shooed him off.

Tomoyo gave Sakura a hug and reminded her to get her rest. "I've already informed your father and brother that you are here. They would be here once they have finished their work."

"Thanks, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said gratefully and they turned to leave.

Sakura was left alone to rest in the big room she was currently staying. Her thoughts strayed back to the kiss that she and Syaoran had shared. It was sweet. It was still a wonder to her now that she had somehow managed to garner his attention. And then her thoughts were back to the kiss again.

_Oh dear… I really need to stop thinking about that! I need something else to distract me!_

Her eyes looked around the white hospital room, from the windows on the left to the door on the right, and sighed. There was nothing much that she could go with the IV strapped to her arm and she did not want to risk tripping over the IV stand if she ever went out with it. Her gaze wandered idly to the big flat screen television that hung above the foot of the bed.

_Might as well get some entertainment while I'm trapped in this room._

Sakura reached for the remote control to the television that was placed on the small drawers on the right on the bed. She grinned when she managed to get hold of it in her hands and eagerly flipped through the channels for some interesting show, only to catch Syaoran's face on most of it.

_Oh… He's really famous, even outside school… He's so handsome even on TV! Oh wait… Is that me inside too? Gosh… Paparazzi are scary!_

The screen returned to Syaoran and he was making some kind of speech while seated behind a long table covered with smooth cloth. Numerous men in black flanked his sides. Photographers and reporters went into frenzy beyond the table he was currently seated. Sakura blinked. A press conference? He did not say anything about that earlier. All he said was everything has been settled and she need not worry.

_This man is full of surprises._

She felt a tinge of disappointment when the news on Syaoran's press conference ended and was about to switch channel when the newscaster caught her attention next.

"_Our latest news revealed the Li Syaoran, heir to the prestigious Li Corporation in Hong Kong, was apparently engaged to another lady at the time the marriage proposal was made to Tomoeda High student, Kinomoto Sakura, during their festival play. Was the proposal just for the play? Or was it something more? Stay tuned for more news!"_

Sakura's eyes widened in shock and her insides went cold as she tried to assimilate what she had just seen and heard from the news. Her head suddenly throbbed from a headache.

_Syaoran is already engaged?_

* * *

**The last update for year 2011! Hope you like it! Would appreciate it very much if you can leave a review. ^_^**

**Also, I've updated the release schedule for Jan'12 at my website. You can have a look at it.**

**Happy 2012 everyone!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 18**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**_14 Jan 2012_**

* * *

Sakura dropped the remote control in her hands and it fell uselessly onto her blanket covered lap. Her eyes were still glued to the television set, her expression was one of major disbelief at what she had just seen and heard.

_No… It cannot be… Syaoran is already engaged to another person?_

She dropped her head onto her bent knees and groaned when a headache hit her badly. Her heart was pumping wildly in her chest and it hurt to breath. Sakura was not sure whether it was part of the side effects of her earlier near-drowning incident. However, she knew for sure that it has got something to do with the news she had just heard.

The bitter truth sank in.

_Syaoran _is_ engaged..._

_The news can't lie…_

_Syaoran lied to me! Cheated me!_

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she fisted both her hands to control herself from crying. She needed to be strong for her family; it would worry them endlessly if they came to the hospital and saw her crying. It was bad enough that she had landed herself in the hospital from some accidents and she did not want them to worry about her.

She would not cry.

Her fingernails dug into her palms painfully but the pain in her heart demanded her entire attention. All these while, were all his words just for show? Just to get her to fall in love with him and hand over her heart to him, only to have it returned back to her in pieces. Was she part of his game?

_Perhaps the news was wrong? Gathered some information from unreliable sources and broadcasted it without checking the information for credibility? It had to be that!_

Shakily, Sakura reached over to the small drawer on her right and rummaged for her mobile phone while being mindful of the IV tubing. She did not want to risk having the nurse to pull out the whole thing and put in back into her skin for her; it would hurt a lot since her arm was already be bruised.

She found the spare uniform in which she had worn when she was admitted to the hospital after her hasty visit to the nurse's office. It was folded neatly and placed carefully in top most drawers and occupied half the space. Her belongings were found on the other side of the compartment and her mobile phone was there, as were her small school bag. Tomoyo must have brought it with her.

When her mobile phone was finally in her hands, all she could do was to stare at it while she was plagued with hesitation. On one hand, she needed to hear the truth but on the other hand, she was afraid to hear it. If it was real, what was she going to do? It was a challenging dilemma indeed.

Mustering up her courage, she searched her phone for Syaoran's contact details. She had saved it after he had called her on her mobile phone on that fateful day when his mother visited her house. Till now, she still had no idea how he had managed to get her mobile phone number in the first place. She bit on her lower lip when she found it, still hesitating on making the call.

The television set continued to blast more news on Syaoran, about her and about his engagement to another lady. Sakura continued to stare blankly at the contact details shown on the display of her mobile phone. Her grip tightened considerably when the news about Syaoran's engagement was repeated but this time, there was a picture glaring at her from the television screen – an elegant young lady with long jet black hair tied up in two stylish ponytails, big ruby eyes and a little pouty lips. In other words, she was beautiful and she was Syaoran's fiancée.

She had to know the truth. It was now or never.

Pressing the dial button, Sakura pressed her mobile phone to her ear jerkily and waited for Syaoran to pick up his call. She did not realize that she was holding on to her breath until Syaoran answered his phone, his voice sounded surprised.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?" Syaoran asked, noting that it was only about ten to fifteen minutes since he left Sakura in her private hospital room. He smirked when a sudden thought crossed his mind and he slurred his words. "What? Already missing me even though it has only been fifteen minutes since you last saw me? Did you miss me that much?"

Sakura pressed her eyes tightly shut when she heard his husky voice. Her lips trembled as she tried to form the words she wanted to ask him. He must have noticed her hesitation for he sounded a little worried again. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Did the nurse or doctor come to check on you?"

"I'm… fine…" she finally replied and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Ne… Syaoran…"

"Yes? Are you really all right?" He was getting overly worried with Sakura acting a little weird.

"Are you… really _engaged_?"

Sakura heard a long pause over at Syaoran's side, in which nobody said anything while at the same time waiting for somebody to say _something._ His silence was her answer and she suddenly knew the truth. She knew the devastating truth and understood the meaning behind his continued silence. It was upsetting her and she suddenly wished that he would at least deny it, then she could vent all her pent up anger onto him but all he did was to remain silent. He could have lied to her too, at least it was some form of response.

She pressed a closed fist against her eye, trying to stem the flow of tears flowing freely out from the corner of her eyes. She felt his betrayal like a stab to her heart. She felt like she wanted to die and then to have everything around her disappear, so that she could be free from all pain.

"It's ok… You don't have to answer it," Sakura broke the silence and sucked in a huge breath to steady herself. "I got your answer already."

"Sakura, please let me explain!" Syaoran interrupted urgently, recovering from his shock. "It's not what you've heard…"

Despite the sadness within her, Sakura could feel her blood boiling at what he had said. "It's not what I have heard?" she repeated angrily. "I know what I have heard with my own ears!"

"Sakura, please! Let me explain!"

She ended the call abruptly, not giving Syaoran a chance to explain himself, to deny what she had heard from the news and to give herself some false hopes. She continued to stare at her phone and part of her wanted Syaoran to call back to really explain things to her while the other part of her wanted to push him away knowing that he had hurt her.

He never called back.

The second part of her won.

Without further delay, she called her brother and bawled like a baby who had just tripped on her first little steps. She had told him everything, releasing all her pent-up emotions within her and sagged onto the mattress tiredly when she was done. Touya had remained silent throughout her tirade, knowing his sister needed a listening ear. Even though he was currently in the middle of a photo shoot, the moment his phone rang and he saw that it was his sister, he had politely requested the photographer for a short break while he answer his call. He was glad that he did that; his sister _really _needed him, for Sakura rarely called him while he was at work, which meant that whatever it was, it was important. And yes, he would make sure that Li Syaoran pay for ever making his little sister cry.

Sakura hid her face from her brother's gaze by burying her face in her fluffy white pillow, knowing that her face was in a mess right now. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying she did and her nose was red from the sniffling she did. She moved from her safe cocoon to reach over the bedside to grab another piece of tissue awkwardly, under the watchful eyes of her brother.

Touya sat in a chair by her beside and observed his sister. She had wanted to switch to another hospital and demanded that he help her with the administrative procedures for the transfer. That was the main purpose for her earlier call. He sighed; he was such a doting brother who would do as her sister had wanted him to do. However, Sakura was a wonderful sister that he was blessed with, something that his mother had left behind. Sakura did indeed look a lot like their mother. She was kind hearted, free spirited, cheerful and always smiling. That brought a frown to Touya's handsome face. His thick black brow snapped together when he thought of what had brought tears to Sakura.

Li Syaoran.

Sakura blew her nose loudly and laid her head back into her pillow with a contented sigh, glad that she had spent all her energy crying and she was sick of it now. Touya reached out to pluck the tissue box from the bedside stand and placed it beside Sakura on the bed, thinking that she needed more of it. She had raised her head in surprise at Touya's gesture and laughingly told him that she had enough of crying for the day.

"I believed there's no more tears left, onii-chan," she told him and put the box back onto its rightful place by the bedside stand. "And thanks for helping me out. It must be tiring, having to rush to the hospital straight from your work and to don a disguise before leaving the studio…"

Touya reached out to ruffle Sakura's head and that earned him a shout of indignant protest. He grinned in response. "All for my little monster."

"I told you before… _I am not a MONSTER!_" Sakura screeched and attempted a kick at Touya but failed miserably, hampered by the IV attached to her arm and the heavy covers. Her brother smirked at her failure and she seethed while she mentally designed some creative ways to do bodily harm to her brother to assuage her anger.

"Anyway, now that everything is settled…" Touya looked pointedly at Sakura and that got her attention. Somehow, she knew what her brother was going to ask her by simply looking at his face. That came from years of being with her brother. "What are you going to do about _him_? I don't think he is the kind of person who would give up easily and he's sure to be looking everywhere for you. You won't be able to hide from him forever, you know?"

Sakura shrugged. She had not thought of that. Her initial reaction was to get as far away from Syaoran as possible and probably hide somewhere so that he would not be able to find her. Thinking about it seriously now, Sakura felt that there was no where she could hide from him as he would be sure to find her whereabouts and given his power and influence in the school as well as the society, there was nothing that he could not do. Even if she were to hide, he would be able to find her easily.

"I… I don't really know," Sakura replied and felt a little resigned. "I only thought to stay away from him so that I can have some time for myself to think about everything."

"Both of you live in different world," Touya stated the plain truth and watched her reaction to it. She did not seem surprised by the phrase and it came to show that she had thought about it too. "The engagement complicates many things. You, me, otou-san, him and even your school is getting involved in this."

"I know…"

Sakura hugged her raised knees and pondered on Touya's words. The ring that hung on the necklace on her neck felt hot to the touch and it suddenly seemed to weigh her down. It was becoming a burden to her. Wordlessly, she took out the ring and placed it on her palm and fingered the intricate design on it. Syaoran had given it to her during the play and had refused to take it back after it has ended but Yelan had come to her house personally to claim it back for her family.

_What should I do?_ Sakura thought, confused by what she was feeling at the moment and at what she should be feeling. The picture of Syaoran's fiancée floated in her mind and she grimaced upon her internal comparison between herself and that beautiful lady. Any male of the right mind would surely choose that fiancée over her. And Syaoran was definitely_ male_.

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and threw the ring back into her shirt. Her mind could not work properly upon being within a hospital. Her initial fear about hospital was not forgotten and she would still jump whenever a nurse or a doctor had entered her private room to do a routine check on her.

"Will I be discharged tomorrow?" Sakura asked her brother hesitantly, half afraid that he would joke about her fear of hospitals. Thankfully, he did not.

"Most probably," Touya assured her. He had a short conversation with her doctor about her condition a little earlier after she had been admitted to the current hospital and the doctor had done a thorough check on her. "You seem to be all right as of now. If nothing goes wrong, you will be discharged tomorrow."

"Thank goodness… I don't think I can withstand being in the hospital for so long…" Sakura breathed out and then yawned aloud, prompting chuckles from her brother.

Touya stood up from his chair to push Sakura gently back onto her bed. He pulled up the bedsheets to cover her, making sure that she was covered snugly in it. "It's late already and you should rest early. Otou-san will come tomorrow morning since he has no lessons. Just sleep and don't think too much, ok?"

Sakura nodded and grinned this time round when he reached out to ruffle her hair again. Then, she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

**Another chapter according to the schedule at my website! Hurray!**

**How do you like the story so far? Like it? Hate it? Do let me know!**

**Do review and thanks for taking time to read the chapter. Do take some time to read my latest one shot: Captured by You. ^_^**


	19. Chapter 19

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 19**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**_17 Jan 2012_**

* * *

"Can you please repeat what you have just said?" Syaoran asked the head nurse at the counter just outside Sakura's private room. They were the ones who were always monitoring the patients so that they could administer help and call for the doctors if needed. He did not mean to shout at them and create a din at the hospital but the shock was still there. He must have heard wrongly and he needed answers.

The plump middle-aged lady, who was almost a head shorter than Syaoran, did not cower at his authoritative voice. She seemed to know exactly who he was and yet she did not show him the deference that he was used to receive from everyone else although she had replied patiently without a hint of irritation or anger at being shouted at.

She pushed her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose as she looked at Syaoran and took in his form. He was holding onto a beautiful bouquet of roses in his hands. She could not count the number of roses he had in it. Perhaps more than twenty stalks? She was not very sure but it sure was plenty of flowers just for one lady. She could hardly see his muscular body behind the magnificent bouquet he held in front of him. _How romantic…_ she thought with an internal sigh. If only her husband would go all out to please her like this.

"Kinomoto-san has been discharged from the hospital yesterday night," the nurse had explained again, though at a slower pace this time round so that Syaoran could take his time to assimilate her words. He had gone into Sakura's room with a slight smile on his face, pushing his way through the door with the bundle of surprise in his hands, only to find an empty bed and neatly folded blankets. He came rushing out of the room towards the nurse's counter and demanded angrily about Sakura's whereabouts.

"Discharged?" Syaoran roared and then paused, reminding himself that he was currently at the hospital and there were people who needed their rest to recover from whatever illnesses that they were suffering from. "The doctor said that she needed to be under observation for at least 24 hours and now you are telling me she was discharged yesterday night? It was even less than 12 hours since her accident!"

The head nurse started fidgeting, a little uncomfortable at being caught in such an awkward situation where all her junior nurses were watching as she was being hollered at. It was embarrassing even though she was not the one at fault. Moreover, she was being shouted by someone who was much younger than her! She excused herself for a moment to search through a pile of yellow folders with patients' name typed in bold on the top right hand corner of the cover. She pulled one out within a matter of seconds and it had belonged to Sakura. He watched intently as she flipped through the contents rapidly. She gave a short sigh before putting the folder back to its rightful place and came back to Syaoran. She was smiling slightly at him and Syaoran could see that it was a professional smile.

"The doctor in charge of Kinomoto-san has granted her to transfer to another hospital upon her family member's request," she told him. When he just quirked a brow at her response, she nodded her head to emphasize what he had heard from her was true. "That is all that I can disclose. We are not allowed to disclose personal information to people other than the patient's family members. Kindly understand that."

It was useless talking to the head nurse but he had to respect the hospital's operating rules and did not wish to put the head nurse in a tight spot. He had already attracted a huge crowd at the nurses' counter and he groaned inwardly at the unwanted attention. It was, after all, late morning and the hospital was brimming with activities. Being trapped in a large crowd of people was a disaster for Syaoran if it meant exposing Sakura to the media again after all the trouble he went through to keep the reporters and paparazzi off her. And he definitely did not want them to find out that Sakura had been hospitalized. He shuddered at the thought of Sakura being surrounded by crazy people craving for some delicious news which would mean that they, as in Syaoran and his hired bodyguards, would have a hard time protecting her in such an open and public place.

"I understand," Syaoran replied solemnly and now he had another problem at hand. He had to find Sakura fast if he ever wanted to explain and clarify things to her and had even skipped classes so that he could talk to her face to face. He had given her one night to think about everything and thought to seek her out the next day to explain to her but things had gone awry and now it was his task to find her. "Thank you so much," he added out of politeness.

The crowd was closing in on him, excited to see someone who had been on the television very recently and his two bodyguards, who had followed him up, were struggling to maintain the human barrier the two of them had formed behind Syaoran. He shifted the bouquet of flowers awkwardly in his hands as he turned, intending to make his way to the exit and was hampered by the crowd that refused to give way to him. Instead, they were trying to inch forward to take a good look at him. Expectedly, most of the people in the crowd were females. Who wouldn't want to ogle at such a good looking man?

Syaoran sighed when he was finally out of the crowd and settled comfortably in the backseat of the Royal car which had belonged to his family since his father's time. His father had been a Prince of Royal High School too when he was young. When Syaoran became a Prince, it created a huge uproar within the school as well as the public and political society. There were, after all, an influential family and they were really well-known. Everyone had treated him with due respect and it was annoying to see everyone bowing their heads at him whenever he walked past.

Except for Sakura.

The ever brave Sakura, the one who did not cower in front of him and his peers at the restaurant, the one who stood up to his mother and the one who had remained cheerful with the paparazzi episode without running away. He smiled at the memories and it turned into the frown when he reminded himself that she was hiding from _him_ now because the media had reported about his engagement.

Putting the bouquet gently on the empty seat beside him, Syaoran drew out his mobile phone and began searching through his contacts. He did not even pause for a second after he found the name he was looking for and punched the call button immediately. It was a long time before the other person picked up his call when in actual fact, only half a minute had passed.

"What took you so long to answer your phone?" Syaoran snapped the moment the call went through and did not even bother to offer some polite greeting.

"Do you have any idea where I am right now?" Eriol snapped back irritably. "For goodness sake, how fast do you want someone who is current in _school_ having lessons to answer the phone? Do you expect me to pick up _your call_ in the classroom? For your information, there are _school rules_ that we students have to abide."

"Always the studious Eriol," Syaoran remarked and his words were laced with obvious sarcasm.

"Are you trying to insult me, cousin?" Eriol retorted. "To think I sacrificed myself to come here and help you. All for naught!"

"Relax, buddy!" Syaoran grimaced. An angry Eriol usually meant trouble and it would take him quite a while for the two of them to be on speaking terms again. That was the last thing that Syaoran wanted; he still needed his cousin's help. "Sakura had run away from the hospital," he admitted gravely and hated himself to ask his cousin for his help _again_. It would be a miracle if his dearest cousin did not think to gloat about his plight.

"The all mighty Li Syaoran requesting _me _for help?"

Syaoran squeezed his eyes shut in a wince, knowing that Eriol was purposely trying to prick his pride and damn that guy, it really worked. His forehead was marred by a deep frown as he assessed the situation quickly. Another mean retort would surely put Eriol off and that would cut him off from his only viable source of assistance.

"I need your help," Syaoran finally conceded defeat. Let Eriol gloat all he wanted to but his help was too valuable to him.

Noting the seriousness in Syaoran's tone, Eriol stopped his verbal lashings immediately. "I'll see what I can do on my side. Nothing from the hospital yesterday?"

"Not a thing. The head nurse refused to bulge," Syaoran sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. "I was told that her family has taken her to another hospital. It is so obvious that she's hiding from me."

"You know, you should have told her about Meiling in the first place," Eriol admonished. "It wouldn't have come down to this if you had been honest with her since day one."

"What can I tell her? I'm sorry but I'm currently engaged but would still like to date you? You must be crazy!" Syaoran burst out angrily and he was so ticked off by Eriol's words that he could not help clenching his fist tightly on his lap.

"What is done is done," Eriol soothed. "You cannot undo it. As I have said earlier, I will see what I can do on my side. Wait for my news, I bet Daidouji-san is a good lead for us, since the two ladies seem inseparable."

"You do that," Syaoran agreed and ended the call abruptly. Now he had to think of what he would be saying to Sakura, assuming that she would be willing to talk to him or at the very least, listen to him.

Sakura jumped when a knock sounded loud and clear on the door leading into her new hospital room. When she failed to reply, more knocks sounded and it was clear whoever it was on the other side of the door was either losing patience or was getting panicky.

With the current lump stuck in her throat, she was unable to form any words as her eyes were glued to the door. Her heart thumped wildly and she could literally feel her blood pulsing faster within her blood vessels in response to the rush of adrenaline which prepared her for any flight or fight response.

"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo's voice sounded from the other side and Sakura sagged back onto her bed in relief upon hearing her cousin's voice. She had messaged her regarding her change of hospitals and had pleaded her not to breathe a word out to anyone; she did not want Syaoran to know of it.

When Sakura still did not reply, Tomoyo flung the door wide open and rushed in, her glossy black hair flying behind her in her rush to get into the room. Her amethyst eyes scanned the room briefly before settling on Sakura's bundled form on the bed. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that her cousin was fine. "Why didn't you reply me just now?" Tomoyo asked with a slight frown as she slid her bag off her shoulder to place it on the floor beside Sakura's bed.

Sakura scratched the back of her head sheepishly and offered Tomoyo a slight smile of embarrassment. "I thought that he had found me," she replied her cousin who was now pulling a chair and sitting on it comfortably.

"Why would you want to avoid the Prince?" Tomoyo asked and she stared intently at Sakura's face for a response and caught her cousin's wince. "It's because of the engagement isn't it? It was all over the news since yesterday evening."

Sakura's face fell when Tomoyo mentioned the engagement. All her emotions were bare on her face right now and Sakura shut her eyes in an attempt to block out all awful thoughts. "He lied to me," she murmured and Tomoyo had to lean in to catch her words that were barely spoken but she heard it all the same.

"He must have had his reasons," Tomoyo reasoned. "He doesn't seem like that sort of guy who would just pick up any girl and shower his all his attentions on her."

"I wanted to believe that too," Sakura said and she looked out of the window and into the clear afternoon sky, wishing that she could be free from all the unhappy thoughts. "But… I'm afraid of trusting him…"

"Did he try to explain to you?"

Sakura shook her head ruefully; Syaoran had not bothered to call her after she had hung up the call on him and he had not found out where she was currently. Or perhaps he knew where she was but refused to come since she had obviously rejected him. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought of not seeing him ever again.

_What am I doing to myself? I shouldn't be thinking about him anymore!_

"I'm tired, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura announced as she stretched out on her bed with a wide yawn. Pulling up the covers to her shoulders, she looked apologetically at Tomoyo. "Thanks for coming all the way here to visit me. I'm glad that you are here but I'm really tired and I wish to rest."

Tomoyo patted Sakura's shoulder reassuringly with a gentle smile but it did not quite hide the worried expression on her face. "Rest well, Sakura-chan. I believe you will be able to go home tomorrow. I'll see you there then."

Tomoyo paused at the door and glanced back at Sakura. She had already closed her eyes and appeared to be dozing off. With an inaudible sigh, Tomoyo opened the door and made her way to the lobby where her bodyguards were waiting for her to escort her back home. Being a child of a rich family could be tiring at times.

She blinked at a familiar figure lounging by the side of the lobby entrance and gasped when she recognized him immediately. Eriol straightened with a smile when he spotted her and he quickly weaved through the small crowd at the entranceway to meet her, only to be stopped by her bodyguards who had thought that he was trying to pick up on her.

"I have something important to discuss with you," he told her and looked pointedly at her group of bodyguards.

"How did you know… Ah… You have been tailing me," she accused and a smile was her only response. "Fine, let's just talk somewhere."

Eriol nodded in agreement as her bodyguards stepped backwards to stand behind Tomoyo while looking at him with suspicion. Tomoyo strode towards the exit and Eriol opened the door and waited for her to exit first before he went out behind her.

They went to the nearest café to have their serious discussion and then they had a plan in action.

* * *

**Being a little fast in update now to compensate for the long delay in early-mid Feb (I'll be having exams again T_T). Hope you like the chapter enough to give a review. ;) Might be able to update a more over this weekend till Tuesday since it's festive holidays in Singapore and I doubt I'll have any mood to study. ^_^**

**Do visit my website for the updated release schedule for my fics.**

**If you have twitter, do add me mikiao**

**Thanks for reading Be My Valentine!**


	20. Chapter 20

An additional fic update for the week! There'll be one more update this weekend and it'll be break till end of Feb when I am finished with my exams. So, expect to see more chapters in March. And if things go as planned, hopefully there'll be a new story in March or April. ^_^ In the meantime, please enjoy the chapter!

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 20**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

"_Li Meiling, fiancé of Li Syaoran, heir to the prestigious Li Corporation in Hong Kong, has been spotted in Japan. She was surrounded by her group of bodyguards and declined to comment on the current scandal between her fiancé and the Tomoeda High School student, Kinomoto Sakura. "_

"Onii-chan, can you please switch to other channel?" Sakura asked grudgingly as she frowned and pouted at the news that she did not want to hear. The picture of Meiling on the television screen doused whatever good mood she was in at the moment.

She was on medical leave for a week after being discharged successfully from the hospital and it was the second day that she was at home. Both her father and brother were at home with her as it was weekend. Tooki was asked to stay at home to avoid the media until the scandal had passed and thankfully his workload has dropped and thus allowing him some respite from his usual hectic work schedule.

Touya complied much to Sakura's satisfaction; Meiling's face was no longer on her television screen but it did not mean that she was out of her mind. Sometimes, she thought that she was going crazy with the constant thought about Meiling together with Syaoran; it made her sick.

"You know you have to get over it," Touya remarked as he settled for some movies which was airing in the channel. "Avoiding it won't help."

"It's easy being said than done," Sakura retorted with a huff, a little ticked off by her brother's comments. "There is nothing much I can do. It's general knowledge now that he is already engaged and word has spread of how suitable she is for him. Who I am to object?"

Touya scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling awkward as he fought for words but ended up failing miserably. His sister was feeling bitter but there was nothing that he could say to make her feel better. He let out a sigh and went up to his room, leaving Sakura to think on her own.

So lost was she in her own thoughts that she did not even hear the doorbell nor did she hear the door opened by her father who then greeted their guest. She only reacted when she felt a gentle hand on her arm and looked up to find Tomoyo's concerned eyes on her.

"Tomoyo-chan? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked after giving her cousin a quick hug for just being there by her side.

"Came to see how you are faring with all the nonsensical news brewing outside," Tomoyo admitted with a sheepish smile. "You don't look that bad at all."

Sakura attempted a laugh but it sounded bitter to even her own ears. "You mean about me being betrayed as the third party to ruin Syaoran's engagement? Apparently, the reporters and paparazzi aren't doing a good job at discovering the truth. I am as much as a victim as the engaged couple!"

"Come on, Sakura-chan. It couldn't be that bad! Did Prince Li contact you?"

Sakura looked pointedly at the coffee table in front of them. Her mobile phone was on it and its battery was taken out and placed haphazardly beside it. Apparently, Sakura had ripped it out when her phone went into a ringing frenzy when she had tried to switch it on earlier to access her messages.

"So… I assumed that he did at least try to call or even message you," Tomoyo deduced. "But why did you cut him off from you totally?"

Sighing dramatically, Sakura looked at Tomoyo and misery was reflected clearly in her emerald orbs. "I don't know what to do, Tomoyo-chan. It is already a fact that Syaoran is engaged. Moreover, his mother objected violently to our relationship and had even come to my house to retrieve their family ring personally. This went to show how displeased she was with me! And do you know what the news said about Li Meiling? She's simply too perfect and too far above me! She will make a suitable candidate to be the fiancé of Syaoran."

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo exclaimed and shook her cousin so hard that her head felt as if it would drop from her shoulders. "Cheer up! Negativity isn't you!"

"I know who I am – just Kinomoto Sakura and nothing more."

Tomoyo made some strangled voices in her throat out of sheer frustration with her impossible cousin. She would have to do something to pull Sakura out of her misery and negative thoughts. She needed to know the truth from Syaoran and that was the only way that would help her.

The plan would have to work.

Correction: _It has to work._

* * *

"Be serious will you?" Yelan admonished her son with displeasure etched clearly on her stern face. "This behavior isn't befitting of the Prince of Royal High! You have been neglected the Li papers for quite some time already."

Syaoran sighed in his high backed chair behind his work desk, his elbows were on the top of his majestic teak table and his face was in his palms. He was tired of everything, from his mother to the paparazzi and then the irreparable misunderstanding between Sakura and him. She seemed to be drifting further away from him with each day and the need to see her nearly killed him. Calling her and texting her did not help to improve his situation for the other party did not respond to him. He was starting to get desperate.

"Son, I am talking to you," Yelan warned darkly when he refused to even look at her.

Sometimes he really wondered how he came to be in this terrible and agonizing situation and it all boiled down to one person – his mother. Being the sole parent, she had taken care of him for as long as he could recall. Or rather, she had _employed_ someone to take care of him; she had been too busy managing the whole Li Corporation to even say a single word to him.

It was a terrible childhood, having to constantly crave for the parental love he could not have. Soon, he had grown accustomed to being alone and living in solitude. To compensate for her absence, Yelan had bring Meiling to his house to accompany Syaoran on her behalf. She was always hovering around him and driving him crazy with her silly girly conversation to a ten year old boy. Before he knew it, the two of them was engaged. He had thought nothing of it then since it was his mother's decision. How he had regretted his silence…

"I had enough of you trying to dominate my life," Syaoran muttered into his palm, trying to contain his grievances and frustration from his difficult childhood. "I had _enough_!"

Yelan was taken aback; Syaoran was always polite to her and never ever raised his voice against her. He always acted according to his wishes, from the food he ate, the clothes his wear, the friends he made and even the decisions he made and there was never a complaint from him, not until now. She frowned down at him and blamed Sakura for his sudden change. Sakura was a bad influence in his life and she was glad that she had expressed her feelings to the lady in question regarding their relationship.

"What did you just say?" Yelan tested him again, in case he has realized his slip and talked to her politely as he had done so in the past.

"I said," Syaoran paused dramatically and looked up at his mother defiantly. "I had enough of you trying to control _me_."

"_What_?" Yelan screeched, still unable to believe what he was telling her.

"I knew what you did," Syaoran said, gritting his teeth to subdue his anger. "You informed the media about my private engagement with Meiling. It was all over the news for the past few days. It was kept a secret between the two families. If it is not Meiling's side that disclosed it to the media then it have to be on _our_ side. You cannot blame me for doubting you. Moreover, it was your last minute decision to bring Meiling to Japan in such a dangerous period of time!"

"I can't believe that we are having this absurd conversation. This is so pointless," Yelan announced and tried to dismiss him but he had slammed his fists against the table and the sound it made was so loud that it stopped her on her way to exit Syaoran's private study.

"It was really _you_," Syaoran growled out, hissing angrily at his mother. "It was you all along! I've tried to be the son you've ever wanted, following each and every instructions that you gave me but it was just never enough for you. Now, you even want to control who I date! This is my life and I'm not one of your chess pieces to move as you please!"

"You are going overboard," Yelan warned and her face contorted in anger. "I am doing everything for your own good! And clearly, that Kinomoto Sakura is really a bad influence on you. It's good that you are finally staying away from her."

"It's not my choice to stay away from her," Syaoran's eyes narrowed on his mother. "You chased her away from me and in doing so, you are losing your son bit by bit. I don't even know what I am doing these days."

"Losing yourself over a girl," Yelan snarled. "Pathetic excuse for a man."

Syaoran refused to let himself be goaded by his mother's words so he kept his silence and stomped out of his study in anger before his mother had a chance to make her own exit and thus effectively dismissed her.

His phone vibrated from within the back pocket of his jeans as he stalked back to his room and he dragged it out and answered it impatiently without even checking who the caller was. "Yes?" He said gruffly into his phone even though he knew it was a rude thing to do so.

"Who dared to make you angry on such a fine weekend?" his cousin's voice answered him and he sounded a little too cheerful to suit Syaoran's mood.

"I'm not in a good mood at the moment. If it's not important, then call again another day," Syaoran said into his phone and made a movement to end the call but Eriol had shouted him to hold on. Syaoran sighed and put the phone back to his ears. "What do you want from me?"

"Even though you are not in the best of moods now, could you make yourself to meet me for a moment? I have something important to tell you," Eriol told him and waited for Syaoran's answer.

"Can't we just talk over the phone?"

"No, I want to talk to you face to face," Eriol replied and Syaoran sighed regretfully, thinking of rejecting his cousin. "It concerns Kinomoto-san."

Syaoran hesitated for a moment and many thoughts flashed through his mind. _About Sakura? What can he possibly talk about? _His curiosity was piped and he found himself slightly interested in what Eriol wanted to talk to him about.

"Where?"

Eriol smiled on the other end of the call; he had successfully baited Syaoran to come out from the mansion. The rest of the plan could then be put successfully in place once he met up with him. He was eager to see his plan go into action and he knew Tomoyo would have the same thoughts as he did. After all, the two of them did come up with the plan together.

"We'll meet at night outside Kinomoto's house."

That really got Syaoran's full attention and it was a meeting that he wouldn't miss in his entire life.

"I'll be there."

* * *

**That's all for this chapter. Do come back for the next update this coming weekend! ^_^**

**Oh, and do leave a review if you could. Thank you!**


	21. Chapter 21

Many thanks for those who have read and added the story as your favourite and under alerts. Appreciate it very much as it shows that someone is actually reading (though not a lot of reviews ^_^) Anyway, this is the last update for the month until the end of February as I will be having exams. Hope you'll like this chapter!

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 21**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**28 Jan 2012**_

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Syaoran asked his cousin as he pushed a stray branch of bushy leaves away from his face as he tried to peer at the Sakura's house in the distance. He felt the strain in his legs from crouching in the same position for about an hour already.

"We're waiting, of course!" Eriol replied confidently as he pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose as he nodded at his words and continued to monitor the streets for any form of activities. Other than a small private car, there was nothing else that passed by them and it was not unusual at this time of the night. It was, after all, very close to mid night.

"Waiting for _what_?"

"I'll keep you in suspense," Eriol replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes and then returned to monitoring the roads again. "Just wait patiently."

"And how long have we been waiting already?" Syaoran asked in exasperation as he checked his watch again for the umpteenth time. He sighed inwardly at the lateness of the hour and grumbled to Eriol incessantly. "We have been waiting for at least an hour already. I could spend this one hour going through the important documents for Li Corp at home! Or even do some revision."

"No, you won't. You'll just sulk and stare into space and think about that lovely lady of yours," Eriol replied and did not miss the incredulous look on Syaoran's face. He could read his cousin's face as if it was an open book. He almost laughed at his expression but he managed to suppress it with much difficulty. "I know you too well, Syaoran."

"Whatever," came the retort and then the two of them were silent again. It was another half an hour before he heard another vehicle's engine in the darkness of the night. His eyes turned wide as a few big trucks carrying huge load of water came into his view and parked themselves a distance away from Sakura's house. "What are _those_?" Syaoran breathed out and blinked when he saw Tomoyo alight from the first truck.

"Here she comes," Eriol remarked as he quickly stepped out of their hiding place to meet up with Tomoyo. Syaoran watched on as the Eriol reached Tomoyo and the two of them began to talk to each other in hushed tones. It was too soft for him to hear and moreover, they were a distance away from him. His eyes narrowed when Eriol pulled Tomoyo's hands in his and patted them gently and earning himself a slight blush in the process. Something fishy was definitely going on between them but he was not interested in finding out; his main concern was to explain things to Sakura.

"What do we need those trucks for?" Syaoran whispered his question to no one in particular as Tomoyo's bodyguards came out of their trucks to line up in a neat line beside their trucks.

Eriol pulled Tomoyo over to where Syaoran remained crouching. Tomoyo immediately squatted down, her long pants posing no problems to her and she moved with ease. She was staring at him with wide eyes which seemed to appraise him from head to toe. It made him uncomfortable being subjected to such an assessment, especially if it was from someone whom he considered a stranger.

"You are Prince Li?" she asked, her voice was soft and melodic. She was hugging her knees and pushing her silky black hair behind her shoulders as she asked him the question and the picture she presented was nearly an unforgettable one. He had to admit that she was attractive and it was no wonder Eriol seemed much taken with this lady.

Syaoran nodded and extended his hand for a handshake awkwardly, considering their unique positions. "Yes, I'm Li Syaoran. And you are?"

Tomoyo accepted his handshake and gripped his hand firmly in hers. "I'm Daidouji Tomoyo, Sakura-chan's cousin."

"Dai-Daidouji? As in Daidouji from Daidouji Corp?" Syaoran asked, astonished beyond words. He did not know that Sakura was related to such a one of the biggest and famous companies in Japan.

Tomoyo released his hands abruptly and she nodded her head in reply. "Yes, the Daidouji Tomoyo from Daidouji Corp. My mother is currently the head of the company. I will only be taking over once I completed my tertiary studies."

Syaoran nodded in understanding and was slightly jealous of Tomoyo's situation. She still had plenty of time to prepare herself for her entry into the fierce battle while he had been trained harshly for his job ever since he was born, being the only male in the family.

"Daidouji-san is a very capable lady for her age," Eriol interjected with a warm smile directed at Tomoyo. "Consider it your honor that she is willing to help you, my dear cousin."

"I'm not helping him," Tomoyo protested indignantly as she swung her fiery eyes at Syaoran, looking at him with such contempt in her eyes that Syaoran actually shuddered at the sheer force of it. "I am helping my Sakura-chan. Don't think I will readily accept you even if I had to help you to help my Sakura-chan."

"And she's fiercely protective of her family," Eriol added with a lazy grin.

Not knowing what else to say, Syaoran could only nod his head in response as he waited for someone to explain to him what he was supposed to do while camping outside Sakura's house. He glanced at the closed windows of the Kinomoto house and frowned, were they thinking of asking him to climb up to the window to talk to her? It was a possibility and hence he had to prepare himself for the flight. He stood up abruptly and began stretching his muscles, stunning both Tomoyo and Eriol.

"What are you doing?" Eriol asked, the corner of his lips twitching in amusement as he looked at Syaoran.

Syaoran shot him an impatient look. "Can't you see? Stretching! I have to prepare myself if you want me to climb up to her room to talk to her."

"Interesting," Eriol mused deliberately to irritate Syaoran. "I didn't know you can climb up people's house. What a _naughty_ pastime you have!"

Syaoran only rolled his eyes at Eriol's teasing and then promptly ignored him while continuing his stretching exercises. Fighting words with words could be tiring with Eriol and he would rather save his energy for somewhere useful such as stretching.

"If I had wanted you to climb up, why would I bother bringing all those big water trucks here in the middle of the night when everyone else is already sleeping?" Tomoyo asked and he was rendered speechless again. He did not have a ready answer to that.

"Well, somebody is supposed to tell _me_ what I am supposed to do," Syaoran replied in exasperation. "When nobody said anything, I naturally assumed what I am supposed to do – to climb up to her window."

"Silly, do you think Sakura-chan is willing to talk to you face to face after you have hurt her with your deceitful lies? I wouldn't be happy to see you in my room if I were Sakura-chan."

"Then what is it that the two of you have planned?"

Eriol and Tomoyo looked at each other with a big and evil grin on their faces that sent shivers down Syaoran's spine.

_It doesn't look like it's going to be a good idea!_

* * *

Sakura had difficulty sleeping at night. She was tossing and turning for over an hour but yet she was not feeling sleepy at all; her eyes were wide open and alert. People had recommended counting sheep to aid in sleeping but the more she counted the more alert and frustrated she was. Sighing aloud in her room, she snuggled deeper into her bed and tried to make herself comfortable.

She checked the time on her clock by the small bedside cupboard on her right and groaned. It was almost one in the morning! It was not as if she had anything on but still, sleep was important and she did not want to start a brand new day on the bad side of the bed.

A slight sharp knock sounded on her window and she froze to listen to it more carefully thinking that she had made up the sound in her mind. Her eyes widened when she was rewarded with a similar sound a second time. She got out of her bed immediately and went to her windows to peer through the drawn curtains. At first, there was nothing unusual outside her windows and she pulled her curtains away and opened her windows so that she could peer out into the streets. Perhaps there were some mischievous pranksters who were trying to disturb her sleep.

Sakura looked down and was stunned by the vision of Syaoran standing beside the lamp post just outside the tall brick walls surrounding her house. She blinked again to make sure that it was not just a dream and alas, he was still there! Then she remembered that he had lied to her and she swiftly shut her windows tightly and drew her curtains back, bent on ignoring him even though her heart was beating much faster in her chest.

"What is he doing here?" Sakura breathed out in a whisper. She turned and took another small peek and let out another gasp. "He's still there!"

"Hey Sakura! Let me explain!" Syaoran shouted and Sakura winced inwardly. His voice was loud and undoubtedly he would wake her brother and her neighbors up in no time. She waited breathlessly for the heavy footsteps outside her bedroom door, expecting her brother to burst into her room to demand what was going on. He never came, much to Sakura's relief.

Sakura lingered by her windows a little longer than she would have liked before dragging her feet back into her bed, where she would undoubtedly remain awake throughout the lonely night. To make matter even worse, her thoughts would be haunted by Syaoran.

A little while later, it began to rain and Sakura could hear the raindrops pelting against her windowpanes like angry seemed like a heavy rain and her thoughts flew back to Syaoran again. Was he still outside her house in this bad weather? It would remain a question to her until she could see it for herself.

_Should I?_ Sakura wondered and worry began to cloud her mind.

Flipping the covers from her in haste, Sakura scrambled to her window and her eyes searched for Syaoran's presence immediately and gasped in alarm when he remained standing there, already soaked to the bone. He was shivering slightly as he leaned against the lamp post. It was a pitiful sight to Sakura and she suddenly longed to pull him inside the house so that he could get warm.

_But then, if he hadn't lied to me, he wouldn't put himself in this situation now. Come to think of it, it was his own fault!_ Sakura's inner devil thought and she recoiled from the window with a slight frown. She should leave him alone for now. If he could not tolerate it, he could just go away and she would not care even the least.

She took a few hesitant steps towards her bed and then stopped to turn back to stare at her windows, an internal war raging within her mind between going out to him and staying in the house.

What should she do?

* * *

"It doesn't seem to be working," Syaoran grumbled and gritted his chattering teeth against the cold. If he had known that taking part in Eriol's and Tomoyo's plan meant standing in the rain for hours, he would have worn something much warmer than the thin shirt that he was currently wearing. He glared at the couple who was huddled together comfortably under an umbrella but they seemed to have ignored him totally on purpose.

"Make sure to spray the surrounding trees too," Tomoyo directed her bodyguards who were manning the water trucks. "Otherwise, Sakura-chan would notice the strangeness of the rain."

"And more on my cousin, if you don't mind it, otherwise he'll dry up very soon!" Eriol added with a smirk.

"She's not responding to me," Syaoran said through his clenched teeth. "How much longer will it be before the water runs out?"

Tomoyo waved a hand nonchalantly in front of her as if dismissing his concerns. "Don't worry about the water. We have enough backup to last the whole night as long as you don't collapse from pneumonia in the middle of our secret operation."

"Patience is a virtue, cousin," Eriol chirped and was hushed by Tomoyo.

"Be quiet! Or else you will blow our cover when Sakura-chan hears our voices!"

"I doubt she can hear anything in this rain," Eriol commented as he surveyed his surroundings. "This is definitely a _heavy_ rain."

"_Quiet!_" Tomoyo gasped urgently and scooted back against Eriol to put more distance between them and Syaoran when she saw the front door of Sakura's house open. Syaoran, who had also noticed it, stood up rigidly and waited for Sakura to come out.

"It's show time!" Eriol whispered with a slow grin.

* * *

**It's show time! And with it another cliffhanger. (hides from angry readers)**

**Opps! Hehe..**

**Will Sakura forgive Syaoran? Come back in March to read. Meanwhile, please don't forget my existence. T_T I can still be found at my website and twitter (mikiao)**

**Do review. Thanks!**


	22. Chapter 22

I'm done with my exams for now! Have more spare time to write aside from picking up an addiction to books. So, here you go, the long awaited chapter after a month of absence~

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 22**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

Syaoran jerked his gaze to the front door of the Kinomoto residence when he heard it open. The soft creaking sound the door had made was unusually loud or was it just him who was too oversensitive to the sound it made? Syaoran was not sure but he knew the fact that it had opened bore him some semblance of hope - Sakura was willing to listen to his explanation!

His heart was about to burst when he saw a shadow stepped out from the house to stand at the unlit porch. A smile lit up his face as he stepped nearer to the gates, anxious for a chance to talk to her.

"Sakura?" Syaoran called out softly when she remained unmoving at the porch as if she was hesitating. He did not want to chance upon waking up her overprotective brother, who would behave like a mother bear fighting for her precious cub whenever some guys came near her. "Sakura, please let me explain..."

Sakura stepped forward and Syaoran heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she was finally willing to listen to him after all his desperate attempts to contact her for the last 24 hours. A smile crept up his face at the prospect of wooing Sakura to forgive him for lying to her. He silently vowed not to make her unhappy again and look forward to bask in her presence in his life. His smile turned into a nasty grimace when the shadow revealed to be Fujitaka who was striding over to the gates under an umbrella while holding a spare one in his hands.

Syaoran could barely make out the expression on the older man's face. He bowed stiffly in reverence when Fujitaka stood before him, separated only by the gates in between them with an amused smile on his face.

_Better him than that mother bear_, Syaoran thought with an inward groan.

"I take it that you want to speak to my daughter," he told Syaoran blandly and it was an accurate assumption.

Syaoran nodded his head in affirmation and tried to make himself comfortable under the intense scrutiny of the man in front of him. It suddenly dawned on him that it was so ridiculous of him to be feeling so awkward in front of Sakura's father. He sighed. "Sakura still doesn't want to see me?"

Fujitaka's warm smile grew into a full fledge grin as he twisted back to glimpse at the front door. The lights in the living room were on and Syaoran blinked in surprise. It was as dark as it could be just a few moments ago when Fujitaka came out. Syaoran thought he saw another shadow at the door but it was gone in an instant. _An illusion?_

"This rain is pretty unusual, isn't it?" Fujitaka commented suddenly and Syaoran went rigid immediately. Fujitaka peered out at the streets and confirmed his suspicions before casting Syaoran a knowing look. "I must add that this would be an effective tactic if and only if your accomplices had remained hidden from sight instead of remaining visible from our rooms upstairs."

Syaoran's eyes widened in surprise and he jerked his gaze to where the couple was standing as if they were strolling in the moonlit garden. He let out a frustrated groan when he saw them standing in the middle of the empty road in full view of the house. "So much for their wonderful plan, to be ruined by the masterminds behind it," Syaoran muttered and his mind was already thinking of ways to torture his cousin. He would leave Tomoyo alone since she was Sakura's cousin.

Fujitaka chuckled at the venomous tone in Syaoran's voice, knowing full well of the reasoning behind it. "I have to thank you for always thinking about our Sakura," Fujitaka said with another meaningful look behind him again. "It must be frustrating for you when she ignores you. Thank you for your patience when it comes to her. Here, this is for you from our little princess."

Syaoran accepted the umbrella but he was confused. "Why did you give me this when you know the rain isn't..." Syaoran trailed on, struggling to find an appropriate word for it.

"Real?" Fujitaka supplied helpfully with a hint of smile.

Syaoran nodded his head dumbly. "Yeah... but why?"

"Well... Our princess can be a little dense sometimes," Fujitaka replied and he chuckled. "And she's feeling a bit shy now."

"She is?" Syaoran asked incredulously. "But she is still ignoring me!"

"Your plan is a success," Fujitaka assured him. "She got a little frantic when she saw you outside in the rain and she woke me up so that I can come to you. Sakura is a soft-hearted girl. She can be angry with you but it'll not last very long. However, I would like to suggest that you will be truthful to her from now on. She doesn't tolerate lies very well, as you can see. It could be detrimental to your relationship if the element of honesty and trust is not there."

By the time Fujitaka had finished with his advice, Syaoran's mouth was gaping in disbelief. It took a few moments for him to collect himself. "You mean... you approve our being together despite the scene that my mother made and the publicity and my... dishonesty?"

Fujitaka's gaze turned serious and once again Syaoran felt uncomfortable. "I only want my girl to be happy," he replied gravely. "And I saw the way the two of you look at each other... I knew it had to be you. A warning to you though... if you ever made her cry again, you will face our wrath. It's not going to be a pretty sight if it comes down to that."

"I'll remember your advice, Kinomoto-san," Syaoran told him earnestly. He, too, wanted Sakura to be happy more than anyone else. He suddenly realized that he would be pampering Sakura from now on and he smiled at the thought of it. Her smile was definitely worth everything.

"If that is the case, do come in." Fujitaka unlocked the only barrier to the house for him, pleased with the outcome of the unexpected interrogation. He could hear the sincerity in the young man's voice and he had no doubt that he would do. If only Touya could see it the same way as he did.

Syaoran hesitated, casting a furtive gaze towards the house and frowned when a shadow moved at the door. "Are you sure she is willing to see me?"

"Of course! I'm her father. I know her best. After all, she did wake me up in the middle of the night instead of her brother so that I can pass that umbrella to you. That action alone has got to mean something. If she's still angry with you, do you think she will be worried about you like this? I doubt so."

Syaoran nodded his head mutely in agreement and took a step into the residence but then paused and flicked his gaze towards his cousin and his new friend uncertainly. "If you would excuse me for a moment, I would like to speak to my friends," Syaoran requested politely and waited for Fujitaka's response.

"Go ahead, young man," Fujitaka told him. "I'll just go in and prepare some hot drink for you. Just make your way in after you are done. I'll leave the door open."

Syaoran nodded and stalked towards his accomplices, taking great satisfaction in their wide-eyed cautiousness when they saw the killing intent on his face. They must have thought that something had gone wrong with their brilliantly staged plan and that the failure had made him angry. To be honest, it wasn't a failure and neither was it a success; it was sort of a disaster and he was lucky that Sakura had not been the one who had spotted the two of them on the road sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Our plan failed?" Tomoyo managed to croak out the question and her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Eriol was quick to console her and Syaoran watched in quiet amusement before breaking the latest update about his plan to them.

"I'm sure the two of you had better sense to hide yourselves somewhere out of sight rather than in plain view of the windows," Syaoran admonished. He ran a hand through his hand in exasperation. "Do you know someone caught the two of you from the house? You both are really lucky that it's Sakura's father and not Sakura herself, otherwise I would have screw up big time. The rain can stop now 'coz I'm going into the house."

"Then we are in luck!" Tomoyo brightened up immediately; her sense of relief was easy to see. Then she hurriedly tugged Eriol away, saying that she needed to clear the trucks since he was given the clearance to go into the house. "And don't worry, I bet Sakura-chan saw you from her windows. She's just too shy to come out here to get you in. That's why her father came out. I just knew her too well," she said with a wink to Syaoran and took off to the trucks, giving instructions to her bodyguards. Within half a minute, the street was cleared again. Talk about efficiency.

The door was left slightly open. He only found out when he was about to knock on it. Since it was already opened, Syaoran figured that he could just walk in. After all, Fujitaka did tell him to make his way into the house after he was done talking with his accomplices. He sighed at the thought of Eriol and Tomoyo together. Put trouble and trouble together and you will get more troubles. He had learnt his lessons now and would most probably take more caution when it came down to his cousin.

"I'm sorry to have intruded at this hour," Syaoran announced as he stepped into the living room. Two pairs of eyes swung to him swiftly and he paused in his steps as he took in the wide emerald-eyed girl just a short distance away from him. He nodded at Fujitaka in acknowledgement, who smiled back at him, before turning his full attention back to Sakura.

"W-what are you doing here?" Sakura asked before she turned back to look at her father accusingly.

"Sakura-san, where are your manners?" Fujitaka scolded gently as he brought out a three mugs of hot drinks on a tray set it down on the coffee table in the living room. "He's our guest. Treat him nicely."

"Otou-san!" Sakura protested feebly but let out an exasperated sigh before flopping down onto the sofa angrily.

Fujitaka motioned for Syaoran to take a seat but he hesitated, thinking about his current condition. He would probably soak the sofa since he was totally drenched, thanks to his cousin's superb idea. He would be lucky if he didn't catch a cold soon. "I should probably go," Syaoran said after a moment's consideration, his shoulders slumped in defeat. This was a great chance to talk to Sakura but it wouldn't be good under his current drenched condition. It seemed kind of weird. "I'm dripping water all over the place."

"Oh! I didn't think of that. My bad," Fujitaka realized his folly immediately and looked at Sakura pointedly. She noticed the look and sent him a raised eyebrow. "Sakura-san, please get a towel for Li-san. And perhaps a set of dry clothes for him while we dry the ones he is currently wearing."

"Why me?" Sakura almost wailed but she stopped when she remembered her brother, who was sleeping upstairs and still unaware of the ongoing within the house. Things could get pretty nasty with his overprotective attitude towards her. She could not blame him for that; if the roles were to be reversed, she would have done exactly the same thing her brother did.

"That's because I'm going to sleep; I have an early lecture tomorrow. Wouldn't want to be late for it," he commented as he got up to leave the living room. He paused at the base of the stairs, looking over his shoulders at the two of them. "Don't do anything you are not supposed to do."

"Otou-san!" Sakura screeched, aghast at what Fujitaka's words had implied and even more amazed by the fact that he had actually allowed her to be alone with a guy. Touya would throw a fit if he ever heard about this. Somehow, she knew that this has to be kept a secret from her brother.

The two of them remained in the living room in awkward silence. Syaoran made no move to go near Sakura since he didn't want to dirty the floor more than the puddle of rainwater he was currently standing in. Seeing Sakura's attempt to ignore him now was amusing; he could feel her anxious glance at him every now and then even though she was trying to put on a vicious frown on her face. And she was pouting! If only he could close the distance between them, he would pull her into his arms and have a taste of those sweet lips of hers. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, accidentally spraying droplets of water all over the place. His first priority was to explain to Sakura about his engagement, not to make matter worse.

Syaoran must have zoned off for quite some time for Sakura for suddenly appeared in front of him. He blinked at her and she frowned back at him. He had to admit that she looked really beautiful even when she's angry and in her plain pajamas that basically covered every inch of her slim body. He had to clasp his hands behind his back to refrain himself from reaching out for her.

"Follow me."

Just two simple words from her before she walked away to a small corridor to a door leading to what looked like a bathroom. She stood there waiting for Syaoran with her arms crossed in front of her. She pursed her lips when she saw that he didn't follow her. He was just staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Sakura blew out an irritated breath, feeling a little annoyed.

"Whatever," she muttered and moved past him to reach the stairs just beside him. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Syaoran could hear her soft footsteps as she bounded up the stairs. He was puzzled. Why did she want him to wait? Did it mean that she was willing to hear her out? It wasn't as if he was trying to hide it from her on purpose; he just didn't want her to misunderstand. He nearly had a heart attack when Sakura confronted him regarding his engagement on the phone. After the call ended, Syaoran really wanted to strangle the big-mouthed reported who had disclosed the engagement details.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a door close upstairs and she was rushing down the stairs in a flurry of motions with a pile of clothes and a blue towel. On the last few steps of the stairs, Sakura suddenly stumbled and pitched forward, letting out a gasp of surprise. An instant later, she was in Syaoran's arms and the two of them were staring at each other, neither seemed willing to break the eye contact.

Without thinking, Syaoran leaned forward. Sakura knew his intention straightaway. A blush bloomed on her cheeks but she did not pull away. Instead, she met his lips halfway and literally melted in his arms, her anger at him forgotten.

* * *

**Yay! Hope the chapter meets your expectation. Half of it was written while I was in the middle of my exam week. I'm just that eager to write! BMV will be updated weekly in March while I get some inspiration for my next fic. I'm very tempted to re-write Guardian Angel though...**

**Anyway, I've created a facebook page at www(dot)facebook(dot)com/sakuraakamichelle. Do 'Like' the page if you enjoy reading my fics. There'll be frequent mini updates there so that you can be kept up to date with what I'm writing. You can also find me at twitter mikiao but you can see that I'm recently raving about books books and more books. Join me if you are crazy about books too!**

**See you next weekend!**

**xxx**


	23. Chapter 23

RECAP: Sakura had found out about Syaoran's engagement through the News and quickly discharged from the hospital so that she won't get to see him. She didn't offer him chance to explain and Syaoran ended up outside Sakura's house. According to Eriol and Tomoyo's brilliant plan, he was deliberated soaked in the "rain". Fujitaka came out of the house and invited him in after some fatherly interrogation and the story goes on.

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 23**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**_March 3, 2012_**

* * *

Sakura was breathless by the time Syaoran leaned back, breaking their sweet kiss. She was still reeling from it. If Syaoran were not holding onto her waist, Sakura would have fallen into a heap onto the floor. She clutched his arms to steady herself. Her cheeks warmed when she realized that Syaoran was still staring at her. She quickly ducked her head from him and saw the pile of clothing that were left forgotten on the floor. She must have dropped it somewhere during the kiss and the reminder of it made her blush even harder. She picked them up and pushed them into Syaoran's arms.

"Change into these before you catch a cold," Sakura ordered, unable to meet him in the eye.

Syaoran thought her reaction to their kiss was kind of cute. If she were to look up, she would have seen him grinning from ear to ear. She didn't reject him—that was a good sign. Furthermore, she was worried about him catching a cold. That was good sign number two. Things couldn't get better than it currently was.

"Are you worried about me?" Syaoran asked teasingly but then his expression was serious as he anticipated Sakura's response. It would show him if what Fujitaka had told him was the truth, not that he doubted him of course. Syaoran just wanted some confirmation to ease his anxiety.

"I'm not!" Sakura sputtered as she took a few hasty steps backwards and away from him. She almost tripped on the steps again and Syaoran grabbed her before she could fall back against the stairs and did some injuries to herself. "I'm not worried about you," she protested again after Syaoran had righted her. "I'm angry with you."

"Oh?" Syaoran drawled. "You are?"

"W-what? Of course I'm angry with you! Would you be angry if I purposely hide _my_ engagement and pretends it doesn't even exist when I'm dating you? Would you?" Sakura taunted, her eyes was a flashing pool of emerald. Syaoran could really loose himself in them if he was not careful.

"What did you just say?" he asked, pretending not to hear her.

Sakura made a strangled voice in her throat. Her fists were balled up tightly against her sides. Clearly, he had riled her way too much but then again, she looked so stunning that he couldn't resist teasing her a little. "I can't be bothered with you!" Sakura exclaimed and gasped when she realized that she had raised her voice. She glared at him as if blaming him for her sudden anger outburst. "Just change into 'nii-chan's clothes and pass me the wet ones. I'll dry them for you and then you'll be gone from here."

"Can't wait to see me change?" Syaoran teased again. "I can change here if you want."

Sakura reeled back in a show of disgust but her cheeks were stained pink. Syaoran chuckled at her reaction and almost broke out into fits of laughter when she scowled darkly at him. "Suit yourself. You can do whatever you want; I don't care. Just make yourself scarce after you've changed into the dry clothes. You can ask someone to return them tomorrow, so I won't get to see your face."

"That's mean!" Syaoran whined and Sakura's eyes widened in shock at his tone. Syaoran, the Prince of Royal High School, was whining at her? She must be dreaming. Otherwise, this was a side of him that no others had seen. Perhaps not even his mother. She suddenly felt glad and privileged.

"Stop being a child," Sakura scolded and pushed him towards the direction of the bathroom. "Change and leave. I'm going back to sleep."

"Heartless."

"Perhaps I should just leave you outside in that heavy rain," Sakura mused, shaking her hand at him before disappearing up the stairs.

"You know you can't bear to do that," Syaoran called out from the bottom of the stairs, not caring if he woke her brother up. Her head appeared at the stairs again, her body bent over the banister, and she stuck out a tongue at him playfully before moving out of his sight again. He blinked, unsure of what to make out from her actions and then broke into fits of laughter a moment later. The girl was just too cute for her own good. That's part of the reasons he liked her, apart from her courageous spirit which had brought her to his attention.

Shaking his head with a smile on his face, he trotted to the bathroom and promptly changed into the dry clothes that Sakura had handed him. His face cringed in distaste when he shook out Touya's clothes; he had never imaged that he would wear other people's clothing but what choice did he have? He'd rather do it than suffer from pneumonia.

xxx

The yellow light from the sun shone into the room and right onto Sakura's face. Her nose wrinkled in response and she twisted her head away from the annoying bright light, hoping that she could sleep in some more. She was feeling particularly tired after being woken up by the heavy rain in the middle of the night. She should have remembered to pull the drapes so that she could spare herself some irritation early in the morning.

She turned on her side and snuggled deeper into her bed with a contented sigh; the problem was solved! Her brow furrowed when she felt a dead weight on her waist and it was gripping her, pulling her forward. She rubbed her bleary eyes open and froze when her gaze hit a hard chest —a hard and very naked chest. A chest which belonged to a sleeping Syaoran and he was currently sleeping beside her on the bed.

Her surprised gasp seemed to have woken him up—he was stirring in his sleep, turning to lie totally flat on his back. That wasn't the end of it. His grip tightened on Sakura's waist and brought her with him as he made the change of position. Sakura ended up sprawling all over him as she could not stop the momentum, not when Syaoran was much stronger than her, being a male and all. What surprised her was that Syaoran continued to sleep, even throughout her constant struggles to move away from him. She gave up trying a few minutes later knowing she wouldn't win against his strength, so she dropped her chin on Syaoran's sculptured chest, her hands hugging his bare waist for leverage. She couldn't contain the blush that began to spread like wildfire at this proximity. Blast the man, didn't she gave him a dry shirt to change into the day before? And how did he climb into her bed with her knowing?

It was still early and there's no school today being a weekend. There's no reason to wake him up. Besides, it really felt kind of comfortable to be sleeping _on _him. She almost giggled at the thought but she held it off and stared at Syaoran instead, looking to her fill. He looked so much carefree and relaxed when he was sleeping; he was always either too serious or always teasing her mercilessly but there was always caution in his eyes and he was so much in control of everything around him. She could feel that it was tiring him out, being always in control. The only time he lost it was when his mother was at her house—he practically ran all the way here, not caring about his image and everything. Then there was what happened the day before. Seriously, standing in the rain? He should know better than trying to make himself sick. But then, if it weren't for that situation, Sakura wouldn't be able to realize that she actually meant something to him to make him so reckless.

"Silly," Sakura murmured with a smile on her face. She raised a hand to caress cheek and smoothed a fallen lock of hair over his forehead. "If you have waited a few more days, my anger would have cooled down by then and then you could explain to me. There's no need to turn to drastic actions to gain my attention."

Indeed, how could one stay angry with Syaoran for long? He could easily charm his way back into your life before you knew it, like now. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, she stretched up over him and pressed a quick kiss on his cheeks and grinned impishly when he remained undisturbed. A yawn erupted before she could stop it and she laid her head back on his chest, feeling it rise and fall at each breath he took. She would listen to what he has to say later but for now, she would just sleep in a little more. She let out a dreamy sigh. _This feels comfortable…_

Sakura came awake with a start when she was suddenly shifted in her sleep. It took her a few moments to fully take in the situation as she laid flat on her bed and someone was pinning her down. Her eyes widened when she realized that Syaoran had somehow moved her so that she was enveloped by his body as he nuzzled her neck. She didn't have time to feel shy about this; they would be in trouble if her family happened to walk in on them and found them in such a compromising position (and he was half_ naked_). She pushed against his shoulders to get him to move off her. His only response was to continue to nuzzle against her neck. Sakura resisted the urge to arch her neck to allow him better access and began wriggling in his grasp, trying to get away.

"Syaoran!" Sakura gasped out and pushed his hands against him with all her might. "Stop!"

Syaoran's shoulders were shaking beneath her hands and she frowned in puzzlement. She gasped in indignation when she realized he was laughing at her and at her reaction—he was awake after all! With one last kiss planted on her neck, he shifted his weight onto his elbows and pushing his upper body off her, but not moving away. He stared into her eyes, which was already filled with tears of frustration, and knew he had gone too far in teasing her.

"I'm sorry," Syaoran murmured as he leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on her forehead. She had squeezed her eyes shut the moment he leaned forward, thinking that he was going to do something weird to her again. She was pretty surprised when he shifted off her to sit on the edge of the bed and she hurriedly scrambled into a sitting position in the middle of the bed while looking at him warily.

"That's mean!" Sakura accused in a hushed tone, not wanting to chance upon waking her brother up. Her father would have already left the house for an early lecture so she wasn't that worried about him but Touya was a totally different situation. He'll skewer Syaoran alive if he found him inside _her_ room and alone with her for the whole night. "And why are you here?"

Syaoran tried to smooth his hair, which was sticking out in every direction from his sleep. Sakura would have giggled at the sight if she was not this distraught or busy ogling at his bare back. He shrugged when she asked him. "I figured that it would be inconsiderate to wake my chauffer just to pick me up from there. Plus, there's still some space to accommodate me for the night."

"But why _my_ bed? You could be killed for this!"

"Aww… Are you worried about me again?" Syaoran flashed his killer grin at her and watched as her eyes grew wide. "That's just so sweet of you."

Sakura snorted even though she knew the sound of it was inelegant. Well, she didn't care much about that, not when Syaoran was teasing her again on purpose. If he thought that he could make her blush, he had better think again—she would be more in control of her emotions from now onwards.

Syaoran scooted nearer to Sakura's huddled frame on the bed and enfolded her into his arms. She didn't resist him. How could she when she knew she wanted to be hugged by him? She didn't even care that he had lied to her. Well, maybe just a little and she remembered that he still owed her an explanation.

He pressed her close to him, still, and rested his chin on her shoulder. The closeness made her heart pump faster and she suddenly hoped that Syaoran would not be able to feel it lest he used it to tease her again. She then recalled every teasing moment of his and the way she blushed each time; it was mortifying. Nevertheless, there was still some sweet side of him and he had made her feel safe, like the time when she was injured from the car crash—he had protected her to his best ability. There's simply no reason not to trust him. And there was the issue of the paparazzi.

"Will you listen to my explanation?" he asked with his serious tone and Sakura knew he was referring to the engagement.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd never ask again."

His face lit up like a young child who was given his special treat. He spun towards her and clasped her small hands in his bigger ones. Sakura looked at their hands and tried to fight the blush that was threatening to form. Despite being with Syaoran for quite some time, it was still amazing that she still could blush around him. She just hoped that her blush was not that obvious to him!

* * *

**That's all for this week's update! So Sakura finally agrees to listen to Syaoran's explanation. What a relief!**

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	24. Chapter 24

****Thanks again to all of you for reviewing: leSapphire, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, Sakura695, redeyes143, xSapphirexRosesxFanx and dragonroses! Thanks for the lovely reviews. :)

**Be My Valentine **

**Chapter 24**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**March 10, 2012**_

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Syaoran began drawing circles on Sakura's hands, sending pleasant tingles throughout her body. She kept her head down, not wanting him to see her reaction to his ministration. It was so soothing that she had to try hard not to let out a blissful sigh.

_What is he waiting for?_

He took in a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down. When she looked up curiously to see what he was doing, she was surprised to find that he was actually staring at her with an intense expression on his face that she had to suck in a breath to steady herself. Her hands trembled at his at his gaze.

"I didn't mean to hide the truth from you," he said. His voice was deep, lacking his usual teasing tone. This meant that he was serious about what he was saying. He wasn't even grinning at her; he was just looking at her with a pained expression as though lying to her had taken part of him away.

"I know."

Her two simple whispered words made him blink. It was true, after what Sakura had witness what he had done just to talk to her, she was suddenly struck by the realization that he was true to her. He had even sent Eriol to her school to protect her and Eriol had told her that if Syaoran could transfer, he would gladly take over the protection service himself. That was all that she needed to know.

Her hands tightened in his and she gave him a squeeze, smiling a little at him. "I know," she repeated softly and felt Syaoran return her action.

"The engagement was already arranged before we were born," Syaoran explained further and then paused to sigh. "This is kind of insane to me. I mean, who on the right mind would engage their babies? It's all so old-fashioned. Plus, Meiling is my distant cousin…"

Sakura gasped. _Cousin? Can one marry their cousin?_

"Yes, that's why. Cousin," he said again. It didn't take much to guess what her thoughts were. "Imagine my shock when they suddenly announced that I'm actually engaged to my cousin at birth. It took me weeks to accept the truth. She's basically my little sister!"

Sakura's face scrunched up as she imagined herself being engaged to her cousin, not that she had any male cousins but it was just a random thought, and it wasn't pleasant. It was equivalent to being engaged to Touya.

"That's… terrible…"

"It is!" Syaoran nodded his head frantically as he tried to get Sakura to understand how he felt about the situation. "It's the same case for Meiling. We have been trying to think of ways to break this engagement for years but there's nothing that we can do until we are adults. So, we are lying low for now. Mother must have called her over from Hong Kong the moment she learnt about you. I'm sorry."

"But she's really pretty," Sakura admitted. "I saw her on the news. She's so much better than I am…"

Syaoran silenced her with a gentle finger to her lips, refusing to let her continue. A smile tugged at his lips and Sakura blinked at him curiously. "Never compare yourself to others, Sakura." Her name was like a whisper from his lips and Sakura felt an urge to close her eyes and drown herself in his voice. "Nobody is as beautiful as my lovely Sakura."

Sakura felt a little giddy at his words. He had called her _his lovely Sakura_. Was she dreaming? The Prince from Royal High was claiming her as his! She bet that it was every girl's dream in his school. Sakura returned the smile and was about to say something to him, perhaps a little 'thank you', when he swooped down and captured her lips with his again. How many times did he intend to make her heart stop beating? If this continued, she would be in heavens by the time he's finished with her.

"So… am I forgiven?" Syaoran asked when he released her. He was twirling a strand of her hair with his finger and enjoying her shyness.

"Maybe? Maybe not?"

"So which is it? Tell me." He pulled her into his arms and tucked her head under his chin, enjoying their closeness. She smelled so nice to him that he had to bury his nose in her smooth auburn hair.

Sakura squirmed in his arms. "More towards… not?"

"Then I guess I'll have to work hard to earn your forgiveness," he replied with a grin.

"Perhaps."

"I wish I could do this everyday with you," Syaoran said. "Waking up with you beside me is a wonderful experience. Shall we look forward to it?"

"No!" Sakura exclaimed and lurched backwards out of his embrace, her eyes wide shot wide open at his declaration. "What makes you think I like sleeping beside you?"

"Don't you like it?"

"Yes! No! I mean… NO!" Sakura was obviously flustered by his questions. She pouted when Syaoran started chuckling at her. "What?"

"Someone isn't honest with herself." He stood up to stretch himself before walking towards her desk, where his shirt (or rather, Touya's shirt) was and shrugged into it. He smirked when he caught Sakura staring at him with a dazed expression. "Like what you see?"

Sakura jerked her gaze to his eyes and found him staring back at her. Oh dear! He just caught her ogling him! How could she live down with that? "Um… You should leave before 'nii-chan wakes up."

Syaoran grimaced at the mention of her over-protective brother. "Oh right. Before he catches me in your room and then taking great pleasure in beating me up?"

"He packs a mean punch."

"Do I want to know how you know that?"

Sakura pretended to think for a moment just to goad Syaoran before grinning from ear to ear. She knew what he was thinking when he asked that question. "Probably not." He wouldn't want to hear of Touya's frequent visit to the gym to keep himself in shape and his warnings about going out with guys. It was not as if she hung around guys—the only person she went out with was Tomoyo so she always waved off his threats of doing bodily harm to boys who had dared to date her.

"I hope it's not about some boys in your room." He frowned at the thought—he would probably do worse damage than her brother if some guys ever dared to be close to her. He has yet to throttle Eriol for daring to _kiss_ his girl even though he was trying to save her.

"What?" Sakura gasped. "Are you my father?"

"Of course not, silly! I'm your _boyfriend_."

Sakura bit her lips for a moment at his smug declaration, wondering how she should respond to it. The thought of Syaoran being _her boyfriend_sent a wave of pleasure sensation throughout her body. Somehow, she felt warm under his heated gaze and realized with horror that she was blushing a little. "I… I never agree to be your girlfriend," she replied.

"But you have agreed to be my _wife_," he said with a smirk.

"That was for the play!"

"It wasn't in the script," he simply said. "And you accepted my ring."

"Well you wouldn't take it back and I couldn't possibly just throw it away," Sakura retorted, sounding a little angry. She let Syaoran placate her with a quick kiss on her cheeks—she didn't want to give up the ring anytime soon. How could she let go of someone this _good_? Never.

"Well, I could change my mind if it's what you really want."

"Don't you dare!" Sakura crossed her arms in front of her and gave him what she thought was her fiercest look she could muster up in such a short time. She must have looked a bit funny because Syaoran was chuckling at her.

"You made me happy by keeping the ring," he said, looking at her meaningfully. "I know this came as a sudden to you but… yeah… you really made me happy." There was a long awkward pause when neither of them said anything. Suddenly, Syaoran cleared his throat and hastily pushed away from the table he was leaning against. "I think I'd better go."

"Yes, you should. Before 'nii-chan wakes up, which will be anytime soon," she replied, standing up and making it to the door. She stuck her head out and checked the corridor—clear. The door to Touya's room was closed and was a strong indication that he was still asleep. She turned back and motioned for Syaoran to follow her by crooking a finger at him. He nodded in response and was behind her as the both of them crept down the stairs and hurried to the front door.

"Try not to strain yourself too much," Syaoran said, frowning at Sakura with concern. "You need to rest."

"Of course I will," she replied. "I've already brought so much trouble to everyone. The least I can do is to recover but then, I'm already feeling fit right now. I can even run around the neighbourhood."

"No."

Sakura rolled her eyes at that. "Oh please… I know my limits and I can take care of myself."

"And no boys in your room except me. You heard that?" Syaoran asked and waited for Sakura to reply. She sighed in defeat and nodded her head. Pleased with her response, he gently tugged her foreward to him and pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead and was out of the house.

Sakura remained at the doorway, a hand covering the place where Syaoran's lips had touched. A smile slowly lit up her face as she watched him until he disappeared at the end of the street. His chauffer was probably waiting for him there because a grand car in the neighbourhood would really bring them lots of unwanted attention, like the other time. She silently thanked him for his consideration.

"What are you doing at the door grinning like an idiot?" Touya's voice behind her made her jumped a few feet into the air. She turned back to stare at him with wide eyes. Did he catch Syaoran in the house? "What?"

"Nothing!" Sakura blurted out and darted back into the house, closing the door behind her. "I just wanted to breathe in some fresh air."

Touya scratched his head, making his hair even messier as he assessed Sakura. He gave a shrug and walked to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. "You could if you change out of your pajamas. But then I'll advise you to stay in bed for another day or two. Wouldn't want you to strain yourself."

"I'm not an invalid. I don't need a bed rest." Sakura plopped down onto the seat next to her brother at the kitchen table and drooled at the mini feast which consisted of some delicious looking cakes. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Never hurts to be on the safe side."

"Yes, _father_."

"Behave yourself, _brat_," Touya retorted with a smirk on his face. Sakura was sorely tempted to smack it off his face.

_What's with guys and their arrogance?_

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**__Sorry! I know the chapter is kind of short! Suddenly ran out of ideas. T_T Perhaps more reviews will help? *puppy eyes***

**Join me at facebook(dot)com/sakuraakamichelle for more discussion.**

**Thanks for reading, as always. :)**

**Have a great week!**


	25. Chapter 25

A big thank you to the following readers for your kind reviews! They really helped to motivate me: DheKyu, Sakura695, r0mantic at heart, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, redeyes143, vedha, xSapphirexRosesxFanx & lhaine07.

In the last chapter: Sakura finally listened to Syaoran and forgave him! He ended up staying over the night **in Sakura's bed** and he had to sneak off before Touya found out!

* * *

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 25**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

Sakura grew extremely grumpy as the days went by. Not only was she forbidden to do household chores at home, she was also ordered not to go anywhere outside the house. Basically, she was a prisoner in her own house and it was driving her crazy. Well, not really crazy but she was a little annoyed at the over-protectiveness of her family even though she knew they meant her good.

She turned off the television in the living room and resisted the temptation to fling the remote control at it in frustration. After placing the said remote control gently on the TV console as if it was a fragile little thing, she stalked off into the room and jumped onto the bed. It was mid-afternoon and there was nothing that she could do. Tomoyo was still having lessons and she couldn't very well just give her a call in the middle of the class. Perhaps she could take a nap and make the time progress a little faster.

The past few days were a blur to her. She was either watching some silly television program or staring off into the space. She was sick of them. Luckily, there's Syaoran to tide her through. He always made it a point to call her every morning and it was the first thing that she heard everyday. Sakura had noticed that he sounded odd the day before but he just shrugged her off and changed the topic discreetly. The most important thing was that he didn't call this morning.

Sakura flipped onto her stomach and reached over to her side table for her cellphone. She checked the caller display and was disappointed to see that there was no missed call from anyone. With a sigh, she threw her cellphone back onto the side table, not caring if her action would leave some scratches on it. It was a few more hours before anyone came home. Now, a nap sounded like a good idea to her.

She frowned at the ceiling, her gaze boring a bore into the white concrete. Why didn't Syaoran call her? Something must be wrong and she was going to find out why. She reached for her phone again and quickly sent a message to him, afraid that he might still be having lessons in the afternoon.

_Is something wrong? You didn't call me this morning._

A few minutes later, her cellphone vibrated in her hands and she hurriedly checked her messages.

_Syaoran is sick._

Sakura blinked at the message in puzzlement, noting the weird wording. Normally, if another person asked, you'd have replied _"I'm sick."_

_Who are you?_

Sakura sent back and she received a reply almost instantly.

_Come to the Li mansion. Syaoran is calling for you in his sleep._

A trip to Li mansion? Sakura checked the time again and estimated that she still had about three hours to go before her father or brother came back from work. With some luck, they would be delayed and she'd have more time with Syaoran. She gritted her teeth as she mentally fought with her hesitation and eventually she made her decision. She changed into jeans and a casual tee in record time and was out of the house within a few minutes, feeling a little bad for disobeying her family's instruction.

She hailed a cab and was at the Li mansion within minutes, standing by the door with her hand hovering over the doorbell. She had a likely candidate for the message's sender in her mind but was hoping she was wrong. The door swung open before she got a chance to press the doorbell and a smiling Wei stood at the door, showing her in.

"We are expecting you," he said and proceeded to show her the way to Syaoran's room even though she knew her way around the house, thanks to the week she'd stayed here. "Syaoran-sama is being impossible."

"Impossible?"

"Even Meiling-sama wasn't able to get him to take his medication."

"He's really sick?" Sakura's mind started ticking. Was it because he had stood in the rain for a chance to explain his engagement to her? It dawned on her that she was the cause of his sickness and it made her feel guilty to a large extent.

Wei nodded his head and paused outside Syaoran's room. "Meiling-sama has been trying to persuade Syaoran-sama to have his medicine for the past few days but he refused. We're hoping that you can try to talk to him and maybe get him to eat some food too."

Sakura's heart plunged at the mention of Meiling. "Was it you who messaged me earlier?"

"I'm afraid not. Meiling-sama is the one who messaged you."

"Using Syaoran's cellphone?"

"She's with him trying to talk him into taking care of himself," he said.

Sakura felt a stab of jealousy shoot within her body, knowing that Meiling was in Syaoran's private room. But they were cousins so it shouldn't have been a surprise to her. What's even more revolting was that the two of them were practically engaged to each other and hence they shouldn't be together in the same room with the door closed.

"Are they inside for a very long time?"

"Since this morning," Wei answered. "But Meiling-sama did come out of the room sometimes to sulk in the living room. Syaoran-sama must have said something rude to her."

Sakura smiled at this. At least they weren't being lovey-dovey inside the room. "Thank you, Wei. I'll be all right on my own. Wish me luck!"

Wei smiled in response and bowed respectfully at her. "Best of luck, Kinomoto-sama." Then, he left.

Sakura breathed in a huge breath to steady herself before knocking timidly at the door, unsure of what kind of expression she should put on her face when she saw Meiling. "The door's unlock," she heard a sweet voice from within the room. She pursed her lips in annoyance. What gave Meiling the right to treat Syaoran's room as her own—the room that she had occupied for a week?

The door creak softly as Sakura pushed it open. The room was dark—the drapes had been drawn, supposedly to allow Syaoran to have a comfortable rest. She remained frozen at the door, her eyes taking in the scene before her. The beautiful lady with long silky jet black hair stood from her seated position on the bed when she saw her and her ruby eyes lit up in recognition. "It's you!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"You know me?" Sakura asked in astonishment. She hadn't counted on Meiling knowing her identity.

Meiling scoffed. "How could I not know? The two of you were all over the news! And I'm here because of the two of you. Will you just take care of him while I head out for some errands? And do try to persuade him to eat something followed by his medication. He's the most stubborn man I've ever had the misfortune of meeting."

"You are not angry at me?"

"Why should I be angry at you? I hardly know you at all if not for my cousin," she said. "He seems to like you enough to brave the onslaught of paparazzi trying to pull more information out of him."

"Uh…"

Meiling giggled at the expression on Sakura's face—a mixture between shyness and horror. "You're cute! I like you."

"Huh? You… like me?" Sakura asked, a little confused by Meiling's sudden declaration.

Walking over to her, Meiling put her hands on Sakura's shoulders, holding her away at arm's length and peering into her eyes. "I entrust Syaoran to you. Don't treat him badly ok? He may be stubborn, arrogant and authoritative sometimes but there are many good points about him, most of which were brought out by you. So… Treasure him well."

Sakura blinked. "Um… I will… but aren't the two of you um… engaged to each other?"

Meiling laughed again, this time doubled over from the intensity of her laughter. "That's a sick joke—haha—our parents played on us," she said. "Believe me when I say the two of us mean to see it broken. Ah… I see what you are worried about! The answer is no! We're just cousin! And the thought of the two of us being engaged—yucks! It's disgusting enough to make me puke all over the place whenever I think about it."

Sakura couldn't help it. She burst into giggles at Meiling's words. Somehow, Meiling had the ability to tickle her sides with her words and actions.

"Ah… well… laugh all you want," Meiling said with a dismissive wave as she strolled to the door. "Take care of the sick boy ok? I'm off!"

Sakura wiped away a stray drop of tears from the corner of the eyes, brought about by her laughter. She smiled at the closed door before moving to sit the bed where the sleeping Syaoran lay, undisturbed by the little commotion made by the two ladies.

She smoothed a fallen lock of hair away from his forehead, which was matted with sweat. Poor Syaoran was practically swallowed by his heavy blanket, no wonder he was feeling warm and sweating like mad. "Hey," Sakura called even though she knew he was asleep. "Feeling all right?"

Syaoran grunted in response and rolled over to his side such that he was facing her. The shallow indent on the mattress behind him was wet and so were his pajamas. "Sakura?" he croaked, struggling to open his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I received an S.O.S message," she replied with a wry smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad."

"Food?"

"No appetite," he replied. "The chef's food taste bland."

"How about I make you something to eat?"

"Don't want to trouble you," Syaoran murmured. "Will you just go home?"

"Do I want to know why you want to kick me out of the house?" Sakura asked. "Or maybe you want more personal time with Meiling?"

Syaoran shot out of the bed at that. "No!" he exclaimed, gripping Sakura's arm and shaking his head frantically. "Never! But then, you should know that by now…" He gave her a slight frown and then groaned as a wave of dizziness hit him and he dropped back onto the bed.

"Do you need a doctor? You don't look very good," Sakura asked, feeling his forehead for his temperature and it felt very hot to touch. "You're burning up."

"Doctor came. Don't like medicine," he whined. "Will you leave? I don't want to spread it to you."

"Oh!" So that's why he wanted her to leave the room! He didn't want to spread the germs to her!_ How sweet! And silly! _"I know I'm the cause for this so at least let me help you a little."

"No. Go away," he said and turned so that his back was to her now. He was ignoring her.

"Childish!" Sakura left the room and slammed the door behind her. Wei hovered nearby and jumped when the door slammed. Sakura quickly schooled her facial expressions to mask her anger just to sooth the fatherly butler. "I need to use the kitchen."

"He wants to eat?"

"No," Sakura said and then suddenly grinned. "But I'll make him eat it."

"This way please, Kinomoto-sama," Wei said. "I'll lead the way to the kitchen. I need to tell you that the chef wouldn't be very pleased with the situation."

"Well, Syaoran did say that the chef's food tasted bland," she mused.

"And it's aggravating the chef's mood."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sakura mentally thought of what to make for Syaoran to boost his appetite. "I don't think I'll be in there for very long."

Wei waited for Sakura in the kitchen while she prepared Syaoran's meal under the grumpy chef's scrutiny. The chef's face scrunched up into a snarl when Wei had kindly informed that Sakura wanted to use his kitchen. Knowing that it was for Syaoran, the chef finally backed down but that didn't mean that he was willing to let Sakura use his own kitchen.

It took her about half an hour to whip out a simple meal of porridge, much to the chef's disapproval. He had tried to argue with Sakura about bringing the porridge to Syaoran. "The Royalties don't eat food meant for the poor," he had dared to comment. Sakura shoot him a glare, disliking him immediately for being such a snob.

"This is a family recipe which you'll never be able to learn or get a taste," she told the chef. She didn't even bother to learn the chef's name. "I've been told it's rather delicious." She had cooked this for Tomoyo when she was sick and apparently it boosted her appetite and had more than one helping! She was very sure it'd be the same for Syaoran too.

"It does smell nice," Wei agreed. "Shall we bring it to Syaoran-sama?"

"Sure!" Sakura chirped happily and followed Wei but not before turning back and sticking out a tongue at the chef, who was stunned by her action.

"I apologize to you on behalf of our chef," Wei said. "He's really protective of his kitchen."

"I won't take it to heart," Sakura assured. "It's nothing, really."

Wei nodded his head gratefully. He was put in charge of all the staff in the household by Yelan and hence, his staff's actions were his responsibilities. "Then I'll leave Syaoran-sama in your capable hands. His medications are on his table. The instructions are all written on the label."

"Thank you so much, Wei." Sakura smiled and waited for him to open the door so that she could enter Syaoran's room with the tray of porridge in her hands. Syaoran was still where she had left him on the bed. His eyes were closed and his breathing was erratic. She carefully placed the tray on his table before moving to the bed to wake him up.

"Syaoran?" she called. There was no response from him so she shook his shoulders. "I've brought something for you to eat." He frowned in his sleep and tried to swat her hands away from him. Sakura managed to escape his hands and shook him even harder. He finally gave in and opened his eyes groggily to look at her. She smiled sweetly at him. "I've cooked some porridge for you. Want some?"

"You cooked?" he asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position on his bed. "I'll eat."

Sakura was inwardly pleased that Syaoran had willingly wanted to eat what she prepared even though it was a simple fare. She scooped some porridge from the pot into a bowl and went back to him. She pushed his hands away when he reached out for the bowl. "I'll feed you."

"What? No!" Syaoran was beyond horrified. "I may be sick but I am still capable of feeding myself."

"A sick person should act like one," she told him flatly when he made a dove for the bowl, almost making her spill the contents on the bed. "Sit still and let me feed you."

"It's not fair! I didn't get a chance to feed you when you're sick," he whined.

"Not this time," Sakura agreed. She held the spoon in front of his lips and waited for him to open his mouth so that she could feed him. "Be a good boy and open your mouth. Say 'ah'."

Syaoran opened his mouth to protest and that was all the chance that Sakura needed. She pushed the spoon into his mouth immediately and watched in anticipation as he chewed a little and swallowed the porridge.

"How was it?"

"It's delicious! I want more."

He ate three bowls of porridge, much to Sakura's satisfaction, and lay back onto the bed contentedly with a blissful sigh. "I can get used to this… being taken care of by somebody."

Sakura thought back to his mother's absence in his life and she suddenly felt like throttling her for leaving her son abroad while she was busy with her company's business. "You totally should. Feel free to be like a child around me," she teased. Sakura poured him a glass of water and handed him the required pills for his fever and flu. She accepted the glass after the deed was done and placed it back on his table before throwing his cupboard open to dig for a clean shirt for him to change.

"Be careful with what you are saying."

"What? I don't mind!"

Syaoran chuckled slightly. "Strange girl."

"I'm not strange!" She threw the shirt at him and ordered him to change out of his sticky pajamas. "Get changed!"

Syaoran raised a brow at her and then smirked. "So… you are going to watch me change? Is this a way to get to see me _naked_?"

Sakura paled and she was gaping at him. She had never thought about this! "No way!"

"Your actions gave it all away," he added.

"Um… I'll leave the room while you… change?" Sakura said and quickly made a dash for the door but Syaoran's laughter stopped her. She turned to look at him.

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" he said, still laughing at her. "It's just a shirt."

Sakura pursed her lips. "You're mean!"

"Now, if you'd like to look, I'll gladly demonstrate it to you." He began unbuttoning his pajamas and Sakura hurriedly turned to face the door so she that she won't be able to witness the drool-worthy scene. There was a few seconds of shirt rustling and then Syaoran cleared his throat loudly to get her attention. "I'm done."

Sakura turned to peek at him to ensure that he was fully clothed before heaving a sigh of relief and went back to him. Syaoran had tossed the drenched pajamas to the other side of the bed. He had scooted to one side of the bed and was waiting for her. Seeing that she was looking at him now, he patted on the empty space next to him.

"Didn't you want me to go home?"

"I've changed my mind," he replied calmly with a grin.

"But I need to go off soon. My father and brother will be coming back."

Syaoran let out an impatient sigh. "It's just for a little while. Will you just come here and lie by me until I sleep?"

"Just until you sleep?"

"Yes, will you come over now?"

Sakura wasted no time in going over. She slid into the bed awkwardly and Syaoran put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, inhaling her scent. "Only until you sleep." She felt his smile against her forehead but he didn't reply. She had to remind herself not to fall asleep in his arms for it was very comfortable being held by him. His body warmth enveloped her and she snuggled deeper into his embrace and he pulled her even closer in response, their bodies melting together as one. Sakura stifled a yawn and reminded herself mentally again that she need to stay awake. But of course, she fell asleep in the end with a smile on her face.

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**Yay! This chapter is slightly longer than the last! How did you find BMV so far? I'm trying to pick up speed in the plot so next chapter may be a little explosive? Keep the reviews coming in; I'm excited to read them. **

**Have you joined me at facebook? If not, do check out my profile page for the link. There's a little something inside there. Hint: Check out the FB posts with the yellow giftboxes.**

**See you next week!**

**P.S. In case you missed it, I've also uploaded a one-shot titled A Dream Come True at FFNet. Be sure to read it!**


	26. Chapter 26

A big thank you to the following readers for your kind review: Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, lhaine07, SeafoamMist, mochiusagi, redeyes143, xSapphirexRosesxFanx and brightestoflights. Thank you!

_Kindly note that this is the unedited version. Will edit the draft for any spelling mistakes and errors. (Rushing!)_

In the last chapter: Syaoran fell sick and Sakura just had to rush to his house to take a look... and fell asleep...

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**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 26**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**_March 25, 2012_**

"Wait, I can explain this," Syaoran's panicked voice pierced through her sleepy haze. Then, there was a violent movement on the mattress which brought Sakura to full alert instantly. Her eyes burst open and took in the shocking sight before her—Touya was hauling Syaoran over her body and off the bed. Obviously weakened by fever, Syaoran was helpless to stop it and Sakura was too busy gaping at the two men to help him.

"I believe what I saw." Touya was growling and his hands were fisted and shaking, ready to give Syaoran a bruising punch.

"We didn't do anything! Nothing happened!" Syaoran tried to explain himself and the situation. "We just slept on the bed, that's all! We are even fully clothed!"

"Nii-chan! Let go of him!" Sakura screeched, horrified by her brother's reaction. "Let go of him _NOW_!"

Touya's grip tightened on the front of Syaoran's shirt as he turned to look at Sakura with a grin. "What? Let him go when I have the perfect reason to beat him up? No way!"

By the look in his eyes, he was determined. Sakura knew that there was no talking out of Touya once he made up his mind. That meant bad news. He was going to beat the crap out of Syaoran whether she liked it or not. She decided to try another tactic to get him to release Syaoran—by being calm.

"How did you know I'm here? I didn't leave any note at home." Sakura crept near to them and tried to wedge herself between them but Touya knew what she was up to and didn't give her a chance to try. Exasperated, she hung around them, crossing her arms on her chest as she shoot a glare at her brother.

Touya frowned. "Otou-san should just keep you under lock and key. Can you imagine our panic when we went home and found you missing without a note? We've called your cellphone zillion times but you never picked up. Well, somebody did pick it up and it's not you." He looked pointedly at Syaoran who gave Sakura a sheepish look.

"The ringing is sort of annoying. So… I answered the phone for you while I was still half asleep." Sakura gasped and reached for the back pocket of her jeans where she kept her cellphone and found it missing. "I guess I told him where you were and chuck the phone aside. It should be somewhere on the bed."

Sakura knew she could not look away. The moment their eye contact break away, Touya would bring his fist to Syaoran and Sakura couldn't risk the chance. "Nii'chan, I'm going to get really angry if you hurt Syaoran," she said, eyeing her brother warily as if testing his reaction. She almost smirked when his hold on Syaoran loosen slightly. "And it'll make you look very bad if you bully the sick and the weak."

"I'm not weak," Syaoran muttered and Touya turned to glare at him before shoving him away in disgust.

_Battle won_, Sakura thought gleefully as she rushed to Syaoran side. He looked a little irritated that she had called him weak. She gave him a sheepish smile and dragged him back to the bed, instructing him to get some more rest.

"I'm feeling better already and I've slept enough."

"I feel bad for making you sick."

Syaoran chuckled and pulled her close for a hug. "It's no big deal. I'll even do anything for you and anything you want. Just say it and I'll do it. I'm yours to order around."

A blush bloomed on her face and she inwardly cursed the adorable man for his pretty speech. She hid it by burrowing her face into his chest as she returned his hug. "You are so silly."

"It's not silly," Syaoran said seriously. "I'm in love—I'm in love with _you_. Love makes me do anything to make you happy." He paused as he pulled away from the hug so that he could look at her in the eye. "I love _you, _Sakura."

Tear sprung to her eyes at his straightforward confession. That was the first time she had heard him say it out loud and it was a confirmation for her about his feelings. She had never expected him, the Prince of Royal High School, to say something this significant to her.

And Touya had to spoil it for her. "Yuck." He made a face at the two of them. "It's disgusting watching the two of you mauling each other."

"That's very offensive," Syaoran said, scowling darkly at Touya. "You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt Sakura."

Touya rolled his eyes. "Oh yea? We are not that close to allow me to know what you are thinking. I'm not a psychic."

"I'm trying to be serious here."

"And I'm serious in getting Sakura out of this room," Touya replied, waiting expectantly for Sakura to move out of Syaoran's embrace and out of his room.

"Can we have some privacy for a few moments?" Sakura asked Touya, frowning slightly at him. When he folded his arms and raised a brow at him, Sakura's face softed and she put on her best puppy eyes. "Please?"

Touya seemed to have an internal struggle as he continued to frown at her. Finally, he gave in with a loud sigh. "Fine. I'll give you five minutes. If you are not out of the room, I'll declare war with this guy here and make sure he wouldn't be recognizable."

"You really have a way with your brother," Syaoran said, smiling down at her.

"It's difficult to talk with him around," Sakura said with a shrug. "And I want to talk to you about what you've said earlier."

"What did I say earlier?" Syaoran asked, feigning ignorance. Sakura had to slap his arm to make him stop his teasing. "Ouch! I thought you abhor violence?"

"That only applies to my brother," she said, smiling impishly at him before smacking his arm lightly again.

"My heart is crushed," Syaoran said, a little dramatic as he sank to the ground, mock writhing in pain and cradling his abused arm.

"Be serious!" Sakura giggled as he suddenly reached up to clutch her hand as if it was his only life line. "Are all the boys really this childish?"

"Not true," Syaoran said, shaking his head from his prone position on the floor. He tugged on her hand, bringing her to kneel beside him. "Only _your_ boys."

Sakura blinked and then a grin spread across her beautiful face. "So…You are my boy?"

"And you're mine," he said, fishing the ring on the necklace out of her blouse and admiring it. Sakura gasped when he leaned up into a sitting position and pressed a quick kiss to it. "This is the undeniable proof."

"Hmm… Possessive aren't you?"

"Can't help it." Syaoran grinned back at her. "I know you are not ready yet but I'm satisfied that you are wearing the ring. It's enough for me, for now."

"I wonder when I will be ready for anything," she said softly but Syaoran heard it nonetheless.

Syaoran tapped his chinned and was thinking hard. Sakura looked on with interest. "Ah! There's something that you are already ready for!"

"Oh? There is?" Sakura asked, surprised. "What is it?"

"This." He replied and pressed his lips to her before she had any time to react. He leaned back few seconds later and took in Sakura's shocked expression. "This is what I mean. Ah! And don't hit me again!"

"W-what? I wasn't going to hit you," she said after recovering from her initial surprise. He looked pointedly at the hand that was raised in the mid air. "Okay, maybe I was but it wasn't painful!"

"You have one more minute," Touya shouted from outside the room, reminding them of their limited time together.

"That was fast," Syaoran said, getting up on his feet and ushering Sakura to the door. "If only you could stay here…"

Sakura's expression sobered immediately, casting her eyes downward and unable to look at Syaoran. In truth, she still found that so far her life seemed like a fairytale—too good to be true and as if it was a dream. Noticing her change in demeanor, Syaoran paused in the action to open the door and turned to look at her.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Syaoran asked and was holding both her hands in his larger and warmer ones, rubbing soothing circles on the top of her hands. Sakura bit her lips and refused to say anything.

"It's nothing," Sakura said. What would make him see that the two of them are almost impossible? Not that she wanted to leave him but she just wasn't able to envision a future with him—or at least a smooth future.

Syaoran sighed. "Sakura, my dearest angel, I need you to talk to me about anything that's worrying about you. I can't bear to see the frown on your face. If it's about the paparazzi, they were already taken care of. And if it's about Meiling, I've already discussed it with you. It'll be all right."

Sakura could feel that he was getting worried over her and she couldn't help but let a smile slipped through. "Yes, you've already explained. I believe you. But those are the last thing on my mind right now."

"Then what is?" he asked, his hands tightening on hers anxiously. "Tell me and I'll settle it for you."

_Your mother,_ Sakura thought and cringed slightly. _But I doubt you would be able to settle her anytime soon. How can I make you realize that?_

The door knob rattled and the door crashed open a scant second later, knocking into Syaoran. He stumbled a little from the impact and turned to glare at the culprit. Touya grinned back at him, seeming to enjoy the little injury he had inflicted on the unsuspecting Syaoran.

"Time's up!" Touya announced and stepped into the room. He was having an eye contest with Syaoran. Sakura could feel the fiery sparks igniting between the two of them.

"Fine." Sakura sighed and slipped her hands away from Syaoran's. She gave him a final smile before she left the room with Touya. "That was rude!" she chided her brother once they were out of earshot.

"I did say five minutes."

"But you don't have to be so calculative about it!" Sakura suddenly wished she could just wring her brother's neck. She followed him into the living room where their father was waiting for them together with Wei. Wei straightened when he saw her and smiled warmly at her before his gaze dropped pointedly to Fujitaka. "Otou-san! I didn't know you are here!"

"Of course you didn't! You didn't even leave a note for us at home!" Sakura winced. Fujitaka was definitely angry which was rare because he seldom scolded her. "And you are still on medical leave! What were you thinking?"

It was an awkward situation with Wei looking on. He was still smiling encouragingly at her. "Your father is pretty worried about you," he said, stating the obvious.

"I'm so sorry! I thought it would only take me about two hours and I'll get back home before you came back."

"And she fell asleep in a guy's bed," Touya added. Sakura turned and kicked at his leg discreetly knowing that their feet were obscured from their father's side with the sofa in front of them. He hissed at the pain and Fujitaka eyed him curiously. "Nothing!"

Fujitaka looked at the guilty Sakura disapprovingly. "I have nothing against Li-san. I can see that he's a pretty honest and reliable boy but that doesn't mean that you can let your defenses down."

Sakura gave him a pleading look, silently communicating for him to continue their private discussion at home. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. It was lucky for her that Syaoran had remained in the room—it would be humiliating to let him witness this.

"Fine, we'll talk at home but still, that doesn't mean I approve of your actions."

Sakura heaved a sigh of relief when Fujitaka stood up and nodded to Wei, who responding by showing him the way out of the house. Touya snickered beside her and she turned to glare at him. "It's so fun to degrade your sister this way huh?"

Touya shrugged and side-stepped Sakura, barely missing her punch. "I'm your brother. I have to right to do so."

Sakura made a frustrated sound and stomped out of the living room after her father.

_Touya is so going to get it from me!_

* * *

**Oh gosh! What a mad rush again! Need to manage my time properly... Anyway, hope you like this chapter. It was kind of fun writing Syaoran defend himself against Touya while he was sick. LOL.**

**Again, I would like to invite all of you to join me at my Facebook page. Do take a quick peek at it, the link is at my profile page. *click click!* From the reviews, some think that Meiling is often depicted as someone who's bad. What's your take on it? The discussion is on facebook! I'd like to hear your thoughts! :)**

**Review please? :D**


	27. Chapter 27

Thanks to the following readers for your lovely reviews: xSapphirexRosesxFanx, kira07, Fashion Fairy 26, redeyes143, lhaine07, dragonroses, r0mantic at heart, jdcocoagirl and Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius. Thank you!

In the last chapter: Sakura was caught sleeping in Syaoran's bed by none other than her brother! XD

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 27**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

Fujitaka held Sakura by her shoulder as they made their way to the exit, as if she was going to make a run for it if he didn't held on to her. Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration—she was not a little kid anymore and she knew how to behave well so such treatment was not warranted. This was the first time her father had acted this way and it left her feeling a little guilty for her hasty actions.

"Otou-san, I'm not going to run away," she told him.

Fujitaka gave her a flat look and an expression that she couldn't interpret. "I'm not so sure about that. For your information, you are grounded—for a month."

Sakura gaped in astonishment. She has never been grounded before but then she wasn't given a chance to make her family worry so much about her before. "What? Grounded for a month? Otou-san, you can't be that serious! It's not as if I got myself killed coming over here."

"You nearly killed us with your disappearance," he replied calmly but Sakura could feel his real emotions from the way his big hands tightened almost painfully on her shoulder. She must have given him quite a good scare. "We didn't have an inkling where you were and you wouldn't pick up your phone. We thought something bad has happened."

"I'm sorry." Sakura hung her head, nearly overcame by the sudden rush of guilt within her. A vein ticked in her forehead when she heard Touya's discreet snicker. She quickly turned her head back to give him a glare and he sobered immediately, pretending to be interested in some of the paintings that were hung on the walls. Her eyes narrowed sharply at him accusingly.

They paused at the door while Wei went forward to unlock it for them. The trio watched the elderly butler froze in place and went bowing deeply before stepping back with a weird expression on his face. He couldn't seem to make any eye contact with Sakura and she frowned in puzzlement. She was about to ask if there was something wrong when she had her answer.

Li Yelan stepped into the threshold and did a double take when she saw them. Her cold façade was back in place a scant second later.

She turned to Wei and asked him with controlled anger. "What are they doing in my house?"

"Li-sama, they are here to visit Syaoran-sama and are on their way out."

"Who gave them permission to be here?"

Wei bowed again, unable to come up with a satisfactory answer for his employer. Sakura could see his cringing face from her position and decided to help him get out of the sticky situation.

"I forced my way in," she interrupted. "Wei-san did try to stop me."

All eyes turned to look at Sakura who was gazing at Yelan challengingly, daring the older lady to call her bluff but she didn't. Yelan just looked scornfully at her as if the mere sight of her disgusted her immensely. The hand on her shoulder squeezed painfully this time and she caught the warning look from her father, silently communicating with her to stay out of trouble.

"I wasn't aware that you have so much power in this household," Yelan said with a wry smile but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Sakura's hands fisted at her sides, quivering in anger. Yelan could be angry for all she cared but that didn't give her a reason to verbally abuse Sakura. She didn't realize where she got her supreme courage from but the next moment was something she regretted greatly especially when it agonized her father.

"I wasn't aware that you have so much power in this household too," Sakura retorted. "For your information, during the week that I was here, I didn't see you at all. How funny."

Fujitaka was aghast at Sakura's taunting words. Even Touya winced upon hearing it from her mouth—her bullet speed mouth which seemed to have thoughts of its own. Yelan was taken aback by Sakura's words and was silent for a few moments. Sakura felt a sense of satisfaction for rendering her silent but her father had to ruin it all by apologizing for her actions.

"I apologize for my daughter's rudeness," he told Yelan immediately, and bowing respectfully at her. Sakura made a noise in her throat at the sight of it but she refused to bow down to Yelan, not when she was being rude to all of her family. Sakura caught her brother staring at her. When their gazes connect, he gave her a subtle thumb up sign. She was inwardly thrilled by his support.

Yelan was pursing her lips into a straight line as she continued to glare at Sakura, totally ignoring Fujitaka and his attempts to appease her. Apparently, he was pretty upset by Sakura's behavior and he continued to apologize to her. Sakura wished he didn't do that as that would give Yelan some satisfaction and authority over them, which Sakura hoped she didn't have.

"I wasn't aware you were that close to my son," Yelan said.

"Well, you don't know your son that well," Sakura drawled and was admonished instantly by her father. "It's true!"

"Whether I know my son well or not, ultimately it is _my_ family business. It doesn't concern you," Yelan said. "I would appreciate it if all of you remove your presence from my house this moment."

"They are _our_ guests," a male voice interrupted from the behind the group. Sakura smiled at him, grateful for his intervention. His mother was being extremely authoritative and rude after all. "And we treat our guests civilly."

"You are not in the position to lecture your mother," Yelan huffed, turning her attention to Syaoran.

"I'm not trying to lecture you or anything," Syaoran said, walking towards Sakura, standing on the other side of her and holding her hand in his as a show of defiance in front of his mother. Sakura could literally see the fumes erupting from Yelan's ears. "I just want you to treat them a little nicer."

"I will not permit the two of you together," Yelan said, eyeing Syaoran and their linked hands seriously.

Syaoran scoffed. "I hardly think I need your permission to be whom I choose to be with."

"You are forgetting that you are already engaged to Meiling."

"That's your promise, not mine," Syaoran answered with a grin. "You knew it wasn't going to work in the first place. Face it. Meiling and I are related. How will society think about this engagement?"

"I am not going to discuss this in the presence of outsiders." Yelan's words were final and she turned to walk away, signaling the end of their discussion. "And I want them gone."

Syaoran gritted his teeth in frustration and anger over his mother's attitude. He was about to say something again when Sakura tugged on his hand and shook his head at him. She might be pissed off by the woman but she wasn't about to let the boy she liked go against his mother and disturb their family harmony. Sakura wasn't that evil to want to break the ties between Syaoran and his mother. "Fine," Syaoran gave in and was rewarded with a smile. Touya made a disgusted sound behind them, which the two of them happily ignored.

Fujitaka sighed, looking at the two lovebirds. In the end, he couldn't resist a smile. When had his Sakura turned so feisty and so much like her mother? "Come on, Sakura. It's time for us to go home. We have overstayed their hospitality."

"Please Kinomoto-san, please do not take my mother's words into heart," Syaoran said. "I apologize on behalf of my mother for her rudeness. It was uncalled for."

"You don't have to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong." There was a sudden pause. "Or have you?"

Syaoran's eyes widened at the thinly veiled accusation and he raised two hands in front of him in a show of surrender. "Of course not! I wouldn't dare to harm Sakura!"

"That's good to hear," Fujitaka chuckled. "Although I knew you wouldn't do that."

"My father was just teasing you," Sakura teased. "There's no need to get so agitated over it."

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you were," Sakura said with a twinkle in her eyes. She then frowned. "Shouldn't you be resting in bed?"

Syaoran sighed. "I've enough of rest to let me stay awake for the rest of the night. Surely you can't mean to order me back to bed right now?"

"Will you do as I say if I order you to?"

"Most probably," Syaoran admitted with a sheepish smile. Fujitaka ended up smiling at their exchange too. "I already told you I will do anything you want me to."

"All right, you just do whatever you deem fit. I'm not that bossy," Sakura said. "But don't argue with your mother. Just… be nice with her."

"Even though she's rude to you and your family?"

"Even so," Sakura replied. "She's still your mother. You have to respect her no matter what. She's the only one left. You should treasure her." Syaoran suddenly seemed uncomfortable and he started fidgeting around. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh gosh, I'm going to be sick here," Touya drawled dramatically. "Could we just _go_?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, praying for patience with her brother. "He's just jealous of us," Syaoran said, causing Sakura to giggle. Sakura couldn't imagine her brother being the jealous sort of guy, especially over his sister.

"Don't make me regret my decision," Touya warned. "I can still beat you into a pulp."

"'Nii-chan, no violence remember? I don't think you want your actions to be known by the paparazzi. I'm sure they'll love it!" Sakura smirked when Touya paled visibly. Paparazzi were his weakness and he avoided them like plague. It also pained him whenever the topic was brought up. It served him right for behaving like a grouchy caveman whenever it came to Syaoran.

"Stop torturing your brother," Fujitaka scolded but he was smiling. The sight of his bickering children amused him immensely.

"Yea, listen to your dad," Touya agreed with a slight frown. Sakura's response was to stick out her tongue at him playfully. "Or you'll be grounded for another month."

Shocked filled Sakura and then followed by exasperation. "Will you stop rubbing it in?"

"I'll consider it if you take over my household chores for the whole of next month," Touya said with a devious grin and knew he had won the battle when Sakura's face fell. "There isn't any place that you could hang out while you are grounded anyway."

"That's true… but then you'll only stop during that month! Once it's over you are going to revert back to driving me crazy aren't you?" Touya shrugged but his grinned widened in the next second and Sakura knew her prediction was true.

"Wait! Wait!" Syaoran interrupted, looking between Sakura, Touya and Fujitaka. "You are grounded? Because of me?"

Fujitaka shook his head. "Not because of you. It's because she made us sick with worry. I'm just going to limit her movement around. You still can come over to our house during her grounding period if you would like to."

"Sakura, I'm so sorry," Syaoran said, his hands tightening on Sakura's. "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't ask you to stay longer."

"And I would also like to thank you for answering the call," Fujitaka told Syaoran. Touya looked like he was about to argue but then he wisely kept quiet. "If you didn't, I wonder how long we would run around the neighbourhood like some lunatics looking for her."

"I'm really sorry about this Kinomoto-san," Syaoran apologized. "I should have sent Sakura home."

Fujitaka chuckled and patted Syaoran's shoulder affectionately. "There's nothing to apologize for. I'm glad you are here for her. It's not an easy thing going against your mother. She's very strong willed."

Syaoran blinked. "You sounded as if you knew my mother…"

"Did I say that?"

"No, you didn't." Syaoran shook his head and frowned in deep thoughts. "But the way you had said it earlier…"

"You will have to ask your mother about it, though I doubt she remembers," Fujitaka said. "Oh… Just forget whatever I say. It'll just agitate her further if you suddenly ask her that. So… forget it."

Syaoran nodded, a little unsure. "I'll just keep it in my mind then."

"Now that everything has been settled, I do believe it is time for us to leave," Fujitaka said, and nodded at Wei who was already opening the door for them.

"I bid you farewell," Wei announced and bowed at them respectfully. He straightened to see Sakura winking at him from outside before grinning at the shocked expression on his face. Syaoran was chuckling behind him.

"So she has that effect on you too?" Syaoran asked.

"I was merely shocked, Syaoran-sama."

"Whatever you say." Syaoran shrugged and stretched his hands above his head, letting out a satisfied groan which he heard his stiff joints made a popping sound. "I guess it's up to me to convince my mother then?"

"I would advise you to let Li-sama simmer down first before you approach her. You wouldn't want to aggravate the situation by pouring oil to the fire."

Syaoran sighed. "Perhaps tomorrow then?"

"Perhaps," Wei answered with a rueful smile. If only Yelan would listen to her son.

* * *

**I'm on time! Phew! Just got back my exam results and I had to retake one paper in May. So I'm cutting down the chapter updates to bi-weekly. Of course I'll strive to make it once a week but I can't make any guarantee... And I'm getting a job soon... So won't have as much time to write... But I'll keep writing whenever I can! So, do "like" my page on facebook to get my updates and sneak peeks on the upcoming chapters. I made a small typo in this chapter (already corrected here) but you can check it out at my FB. Can you spot the mistake?**

**Hope you like this chapter.**

**Review? :)**


	28. Chapter 28

Thanks to the following readers for your reviews. Love ya! Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, lhaine07, r0mantic at heart, SeafoamMist, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, JTiow19, Fashion Fairy 26, dragonroses, redeyes143, kira07 and WaterPanda.

In the last chapter: Yelan found Sakura in Li mansion and was livid. Fujitaka seemed to know Yelan in the past...

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 28**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

"Did you remember to take your bento?" Fujitaka asked as he watched Sakura get ready for school and putting on her shoes at the entranceway. Touya had already left for his work since his manager was early in picking him out for a morning shoot hence explaining the lack of any interesting arguments in the morning.

"It's in my bag already," Sakura said as she battled with her shoelaces with furious speed. She was almost late for school as usual. She had her sleepy bug to blame for her tardiness. "Otou-san, I'm going off!"

"Be careful on your way to school!" Fujitaka opened the front door for Sakura and she dashed out immediately, only to stop and gape at a shiny black car that was parked just outside their gates. As if understanding their shock, the window at the back seat rolled down slowly, revealing a grinning Eriol.

Sakura blinked again and then looked back at her father awkwardly, unsure of how to explain the situation to her him. "Um… Otou-san, this is Hiiragizawa Eriol, Syaoran's cousin. I'm not sure why he is here though…" She turned back to the car, surprised that Eriol had managed to get out of the car silently and was standing beside her. "Hiiragizawa-kun, this is my father."

Eriol bowed respectfully at Fujitaka before extending a hand politely to him for a handshake. "I'm Eriol. I had the pleasure of helping ladies and pulling them from swimming pools."

Sakura rolled her eyes at his poor attempt of sarcasm. "This isn't funny…"

"I'm being serious!" Eriol said with a frown at her before turning to Fujitaka. "With your permission, I would like to escort your daughter to and back from school from today onwards."

Fujitaka blinked at Eriol's words, his forehead creasing in confusion. Sakura gasped at the question. "Why on earth would you do that? It's not as if I'm incapable of travelling on my own. It's just school!"

"Yes, it's just school and there are many students in the school too. You have witnessed what two students can do to you. Imagine having the whole school turn against you. What would you do? Anyway, I'm just under orders to see to your safety and bring you to school and back home is part of my duty now."

"You're under orders from Syaoran?"

Eriol sighed and nodded his head. "Yes. He has been trying to transfer school ever since your accident. I had to calm him down somehow. I'm sure his mother won't appreciate it if he had successfully transferred to Tomoeda High. This is what I can think of to hold him off."

Fujitaka absorbed Eriol's words and was pensive for a moment. "I'm grateful for your help."

"It's nothing, really. It was my fault that she got hurt so this is my way of repenting for my lack of attention that resulted in her accident."

"I understand," Fujitaka said. "But I'm afraid that's too much a trouble for you. I'm sure you have other more important tasks given to you as well. Being a part of the Li's family isn't easy and you cannot afford to waste time."

If Eriol was surprised by Fujitaka's understanding of how a Li family worked, he didn't show it on his face. Sakura, on the other hand, was utterly surprised. She thought that she had misheard her father saying something about Yelan the other day when they were all at the Li mansion.

"It won't be a trouble at all. Syaoran has already lightened my workload so that I can spend more time around Sakura-san and ensure her safety at all times."

Fujitaka finally gave in. "Thanks for doing this. It'll really put my mind at ease," he said, eyeing Sakura. "And I don't need to remind you that you are still being grounded for the next 25 days."

"Otou-san, need you say this out loud?" Sakura asked. "You are embarrassing me in front of my friend!"

"I just wanted to make sure that you remember that fact on your first day back to school. No running around the school without Tomoyo-san. Sonomi-san called this morning and offered Tomoyo-san to take good care of you in school."

Sakura groaned and almost stomped her foot in frustration. "I'm not a baby!"

"Of course you're not!" Fujitaka agreed with a warm smile as he looked at his almost grown up daughter. "We are just trying to keep you out of any danger."

Sakura had no retort to that; it was a perfectly valid reason for a concerned father's action. She sighed in defeat. "Whatever you say, otou-san. I really need to go off now or we'll both be late for school!"

"I'll bring her home safely after school," Eriol said and tipped his head in a polite goodbye before ushering Sakura to his car. He stopped her from opening the door to the passenger seat and did the deed for her. "After you."

"Thank you," Sakura meekly replied and climbed into the backseat and then waved a quick goodbye to her father. The car sped off after Eriol had taken the seat beside her. An awkward silence filled the car and Sakura tried to fill in the void by pretending to be interested in what was happening on the streets as the car headed towards their school. She heard a rustling sound on Eriol's side and turned to find a bouquet of roses in front of her face. Sakura blinked back in surprise and gaped at Eriol.

"It's not from me," Eriol said, chuckling at the expression on her face. "It's from your secret admirer."

"My secret admirer?" Sakura repeated. She felt a little confused as she accepted the flowers from Eriol, who was glad to have it off his hands.

"The one and only." Eriol grinned and comprehension dawned on Sakura. She smiled as she sniffed the flowers eager, savoring its fragrance as she felt warmth spread over the cheeks at the thought of her secret admirer planning all these. "I can't believe he actually used this old fashioned tactic… But seeing your expression right now, I guess it's worth it. I shall have to report it to him later."

"Don't!" Sakura exclaimed, shaking her head at Eriol before grinning at him. "Let him guess."

"You want Syaoran to guess your reaction?" Eriol asked, incredulous. "Whatever for?"

Sakura bit the insides of her cheek, wondering if she should tell Eriol. "Um… That is… If he really wanted to give me flowers, he should have given it to me… personally…"

"Ah… I get what you mean. Personally eh? Let him figured that out on his own," Eriol said with a grin. "My turn to make his life difficult and keep him guessing!"

Sakura giggled at that, glad that he did not oppose to her own thoughts. "So I guess we are partners in crime?"

Eriol winked at Sakura, his face splitting even wider with his grin. "Welcome aboard, partner!"

xxx

Sakura was feeling exhausted from trying to ignore the stares that her schoolmates were giving her wherever she went. It seemed that news of her accident had spread throughout the whole school like wildfire on the day of accident itself. She hated the whispers that were going on behind the back and wished they would all stop.

"Sakura-chan, are you feeling all right?" Tomoyo asked. "You looked pretty tired."

"Tired doesn't even describe what I'm feeling right now," Sakura replied. Her thoughts flew back to the quiet whispers in the classroom as her classmates made their way out after school has ended. She had purposely stayed behind to make sure all of them had left before she made her move. "I'm going crazy actually."

Tomoyo arched a brow at that comment and patted Sakura's shoulder sympathetically. "This is unavoidable. The scandal between you and Li-kun seemed to be spreading even more viciously even though the paparazzi had stopped reporting on it. People are bound to talk about it and the accident is fueling it in school. You are lucky that no paparazzo was around on that day, otherwise you would have to hide in your home 24 hours a day for the rest of your life."

"What? Am I given some death sentence for just falling into the pool and almost drowned?" Sakura asked. Her tone was sarcastic and she immediately regretted her words as they made Tomoyo wince. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I shouldn't vent my frustration on you."

"No, it's all right," Tomoyo assured. "You needed that."

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Well… Ladies, sorry for the interruption. I believe it is time for us to leave. Most of the students had already left the school compound," Eriol said. Sakura thanked him internally for the blessed interruption as she didn't know what else to say to Tomoyo without sounding like a jerk. He paused, looking at Tomoyo as though he had something to say to her. Sakura looked at the two of them and she was hit by a sudden thought.

"Tomoyo-chan? Do you want to hang out at my house today? I'll cook dinner," Sakura asked. Tomoyo looked at her in surprise before her gaze crept to Eriol's smiling face.

"Sure! Why not?"

"We will all take Eriol's car then. Do you need to inform your bodyguards?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "They'll see me at the gates anyway. I'll just signal to them to follow his car. It shouldn't be much of a problem."

Sakura grabbed her bag and jumped up from her seat, dragging Tomoyo to the door enthusiastically, earning her a suspicious glance from her cousin. "Hurry up!"

Eriol was chuckling at her antics as he pulled out his phone to get his chauffer. This was going to be an interesting evening for him.

xxx

It was still early when the trio reached Kinomoto residence. Sakura shot out of the car the moment it stopped but she was restrained by women in black suits before she could even take a step. She blinked at the scene that was unfolded before her—more women in black suits swarm up to her house and was checking the perimeter for any suspicious looking characters. Sakura turned back to look at Tomoyo. "This is what happens every time you got home?"

Tomoyo seemed to shrink into the soft cushioned seat in the car. "Sort of... They never stop despite what I say."

"I suppose it's for your safety," Eriol said, patting Tomoyo's clasped hands on her lap in understanding. "If I were your father, I would do the same thing too."

"I'm lucky that my father doesn't do this to me," Sakura said, still enthralled by the uncommon scene. "No offense to you, Tomoyo-chan."

"None taken," she replied with a sigh. "I wish they don't have to do that… It's embarrassing… especially when I need to go to classmate's house for some projects…"

"If it is of any consolation to you, it was much worse for me when I was in England," Eriol said. Both heads swerved to him in shock. "What? I can't come from England?"

"You are from England?" Sakura asked, totally astonished.

"Where do you think the name _Eriol_ comes from? Japan?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be sarcastic about it. I was just asking out of pure curiosity."

"And we all know curiosity killed the cat," Eriol retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Tomoyo couldn't help it—she burst out into giggles at the friendly banter going on between her classmate and cousin. Sakura grinned. "I'm still alive and kicking though. Oh! It seems like they are done!"

Sakura stepped out of the car, eyeing the bodyguards warily. They stood in a single row one each side of the short pathway leading up to her gates. It was no wonder to her that Tomoyo always told her bodyguards in advance whenever she wanted to come to her house. Now she understood why. This was way overboard. Sakura shuddered at the thought of being under scrutiny for every moment of her waking life and she suddenly sympathized with Tomoyo.

"Nothing out of ordinary, Daidouji-sama," the bodyguard closest to them said and bowed to Tomoyo. She appeared to be the head of the group over here with some authority. Tomoyo only nodded her head in response and pushed past the small crowd of bodyguards at the front and into the front yard of the Kinomoto residence.

"Just ignore them," Tomoyo told Sakura, noticing her furtive glances at them.

Sakura wasn't afraid of the bodyguards—she was just unnerved by them. They had an intimidating presence when standing so close together. It was a different feel from the paparazzi at their front gates just a few weeks ago.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to them," Sakura admitted with a wry grin. "I admire you for that."

"I was born into it and don't have much choice in this."

Sakura opened her front door and showed her guests in. She placed two pairs of guest slippers for them at the door and then noticed a white envelope on the shoe rack. It was addressed to her and was unopened. Sakura frowned at it for she wasn't a usual recipient for letters.

"Why are you staring at the envelope?" Tomoyo asked, peering over Sakura's shoulders for a glimpse of it.

Sakura didn't hear what Tomoyo said; her heart was thumping far too loudly in her ears for her to hear anything else. She was staring at the insignia on the envelope with wide eyes, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. "How did this get here?"

"That's an invitation," Eriol said. "It's for the Li Corp's annual event. I've got mine yesterday."

"I've got one too," Tomoyo said, looking at Sakura with a stunned expression. "Why did you have one?"

"I'm wondering about the same thing too," Sakura replied. "It's so obvious that my family has no links to Li Corp at all. And look, it's addressed to me."

"Your father must have received it this morning after we have left." Eriol scratched his chin pensively as he thought of why Sakura would have received an exclusive invitation. "If it was given by Syaoran, he would have asked me to hand you the invitation personally… but he didn't…"

"Then… if we go by elimination…" Sakura said and trailed off, her eyes turning as wide as saucers. "It's _her_!"

* * *

**Finished the chapter slightly earlier than the stipulated deadline! Yay!**

**Have you joined me at my facebook page? I've been posting short teasers on the work-in-progress chapters as well as the word count. If you haven't, do consider joining by liking my facebook page. The url is at my profile page. :)**

**See you in another 2 weeks!**

**(For your info: I'm having 2 jobs interviews tomorrow. If all goes well, one company might have me and I'll be working. *gasp*)**


	29. Chapter 29

Thanks as always to my lovely readers for your reviews. Big hugs to all of you especially Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, lolgreeness, dragonroses, RosyRedPen, EchizenRyoma, redeyes143, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, SeafoamMist and kira07!

So in the last chapter, Sakura received an invitation from the Li...

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 29**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

Sakura pulled out the invitation card from the envelope, marveling at the elegance of the design on the card before scanning through its contents for details. The word _invitation_ was printed in bold right in the middle of the card with some small prints below stating the date, venue and time. Her eyes almost bulged out at the venue of ball. It was one of the grandest hotels in Japan, meaning that if she were to attend whatever function it was, she would have to wear something fanciful.

"I can't attend this!" Sakura said. Her hands trembled slightly and she longed to dump the invitation and pretended that she didn't receive it. "Why did she send this to me if she dislikes me so much?"

"Your whole family is invited," Eriol said after taking the invitation from Sakura and reading it for himself. "To Miss Kinomoto Sakura and her family…"

Sakura blanched at the thought of being in the public with Touya. As if the episode with the paparazzi at their front gate wasn't enough for her family. What would her father say to this? Would he agree that all three of them should turn up for the function?"

"Actually, I'm invited too," Tomoyo said a little sheepishly after a few moments of watching Sakura's internal battle. Eriol grinned at her announcement while Sakura was shocked by it. "The Daidoujis are always invited but I didn't really get to meet the Lis…"

"Maybe you should wait for your father to come back before making a decision," Eriol suggested. "Perhaps he knows something about this."

Sakura blinked, her mind automatically bringing her back to the day when Yelan caught the whole lot of them in her house. "Now that you've brought this up, I can't help but think that there is something my father is hiding from me… He blurted about something and told Syaoran to forget what he had said when he asked him. Eriol-kun, do you know if my father and Syaoran's mother knew each other?"

Eriol shook his head immediately. "I wish I knew but I really have no idea about that. This came as a surprise to me too. The idea that Syaoran's mother and your father knew each other is rather appalling. If this is true, that means that something bad must have happened between them for his mother to react the way she did with you."

Sakura cringed. "That is _really_ bad."

"Maybe we were just over thinking it?" Tomoyo asked uncertainly. "Let's just wait to hear what your father has to say on this. It's pointless for us to draw conclusions on our own without any proof."

"Daidouji-san is right about that." Eriol agreed, giving the invitation back to Sakura who accepted it with a murmur of thanks. "Let's all stop thinking about this and do something fun for a change. How about a movie together and then I'll whip up some sumptuous dinner?"

"Someone's confident," Tomoyo said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Movie sounds great."

"What do you have?" Eriol asked, moving towards the open shelf with all her family's movie collections. He spent a few seconds looking through the nearest pile and grinned when he spotted something that interested him. Sakura laughed when she saw the title that he picked and more so at the expression on his face—he looked like an eager young child waiting to open his Christmas presents. "How about an action movie? Any violent objection?"

"Not at all," Tomoyo said and giggled. "You look as if you have just discovered a diamond mine."

"What? There's hardly time for me to indulge in a relaxed and good movie with all those responsibilities piled on me. Now that Syaoran has cut me some slack, I intend to fully utilize the time doing something fun—like watching a movie with pretty ladies."

"You're such a flirt!" Tomoyo said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Look who's flirting?" Eriol asked with a smirk on his face.

Sakura visibly gagged watching the two of them flirt with each other. Wordlessly, she took the selected movie from Eriol's hands and popped it into the player for them. She turned around and found her two classmates still staring at each other. Shaking her head, Sakura left the two of them in their own world while she set off into the kitchen to make preparations for their dinner.

xxx

"Thanks for the wonderful dinner!" Both Tomoyo and Eriol chirped simultaneously with gusto. Not a hint of the spaghetti they had eaten was left on their plates.

"The two of you are of the same frequency after watching a movie together? How surprising!" Sakura said, smiling at them.

Tomoyo eyed Eriol, watching a handsome grin spreading across his face and she blushed in response. "Great minds think alike, don't you know that?" Tomoyo asked, gathering both Eriol and her plates to put into the dishwasher.

"And now you are clearing the plates for him too?" Sakura mused, totally engrossed in teasing her cousin mercilessly. "How _thoughtful_." She had noticed the spark going on between them after her near drown incident and wasn't hesitant to help them fuel it. The invitation to her house for dinner was one of her ploy to get the two of them to be closer and Sakura was proud to say that it had worked a little. One could hardly rush through the process and Sakura had to proceed with care or else her plan would backfire.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes at that. "It's out of politeness. I'm clearing my dishes too and plus the fact that he wasn't very familiar with the house."

"Oh please, my house isn't that big."

Fujitaka was on his way back to the dining table, carrying a tray of desserts that he had made earlier this morning. He was glad that he had made some extras in case his children wanted second helpings, which they usually did. "I'll take it from here, Tomoyo-san. You are our guest after all," he said, stopping Tomoyo from stepping away from the table. He then passed a plate of chocolate mousse cake to each of them before clearing the table.

Tomoyo moaned in pleasure as the sweet chocolaty cake filled her mouth and teased her senses. "This is so good!" Tomoyo exclaimed and turned to look at Fujitaka with hopeful eyes. "Can I live here forever? I can get used to the desserts you make!"

Fujitaka laughed, delighted by Tomoyo's compliments on his dessert. "I'm sure the chefs at Daidouji house can do a much better job than me."

"They can never match up to your standard! Never!" Tomoyo said and eagerly pushed in another mouthful of the sweet goodness into her mouth.

"I would have to agree with Tomoyo on that," Eriol said, nodding his head with each mouthful of the chocolate mousse cake he took. "This is _heavenly_."

"Just so that you know, my dad is not for hire," Sakura said. "If you want to taste more of his desserts, you just have to come here with advance notice. Don't entertain any wistful thoughts of having him in your house. You can't have him!"

"I'm glad you like the cake." Fujitaka said, smiling warmly at them. "Be sure to let me know when you are coming so that I can prepare a feast for you."

"Oh! You'll spoil us rotten!" Tomoyo said with a grin.

"Your brother is missing all these," Eriol said.

"Don't mind him. He'll be busy these few days with photo shoots so we'll hardly see him at all," Sakura replied.

"So he'll miss out about the invitation as well?" Eriol asked.

"He'll be back by next weekend," Sakura said and then she remembered about their earlier discussion. "Otou-san, I have some questions for you about the invitation by the Royalties."

The change in his expression was drastic. Gone was the smiling man and a serious mask was in place within a second. The sudden transformation startled Sakura, who paused in the middle of her dessert to watch her father. She knew it was something serious. Even Eriol and Tomoyo sensed the change and had already stopped eating.

"So that's what the letter is all about… I can't believe that they actually sent one to you… I am sure you want to know about the invitation to the Li Corp's annual event and why you are invited?" Fujitaka asked and Sakura nodded her head in response. He released a sigh before continuing. "It's an annual event for The Royalties for The Royal High School and it has always been hosted by the Lis without fail. What do you know about The Royalties, Hiiragizawa-san?"

"They are the leaders of The Royal High School, sort of like the president of the student council but with lots of responsibilities like the day-to-day running of the school and finances. These students are in fact trained during their term for the real world. After graduating, these people are usually well received by the society and ends up with high ranking jobs and statuses. Their children would be given a spot in the high school as well."

"So who is The Royalty of the school now?"

"Syaoran is The Prince right now." Eriol was a little confused by Fujitaka's questions and was not able to see any linkages between the topics.

"So, who attend these annual events?" Fujitaka asked again.

"The families of current and past Royalties as well as high ranking officials and presidents of highly reputable companies. It is a good opportunity for socializing," Tomoyo replied confidently. Sakura was surprised that Tomoyo knew the answer. "Well, my grandfather was The Prince when he was in high school."

"That's amazing!" Sakura exclaimed. "But why weren't you in Royal High then?"

"I wasn't interested…"

Sakura frowned. Who wouldn't be interested in studying in such prestigious school? Then it hit her. "Don't tell me you were trying to follow me…" She paused when Tomoyo shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You were! Oh my gosh! Tomoyo-chan, you've wasted a good chance in getting a better education! And it's all because of me!"

"It was my choice and still is," Tomoyo countered.

"The politics within the school itself was unbearable," Fujitaka said. "It takes a lot for The Royalty to be able to withstand the pressure."

"You sound as if you spoke from experience," Eriol remarked as he eyed Fujitaka.

Fujitaka was smiling a little fondly now as he recalled the past. "I was speaking from experience but it was not from mine. I was merely a bystander."

"I'm confused," Sakura said, trying to make sense of what her father was saying.

Fujitaka was looking at his daughter in the eye right at the moment and Sakura braced herself for what was to come. "Your mother was once The Princess of The Royal High School."

Sakura's eyes widened at the announcement. Never in her wildest dream would she have thought that she was affiliated to The Royalties.

"It made sense now," Tomoyo said. "I never would have thought Sakura-chan should receive an invitation. And grandpa was The Prince… Silly me! How could I not have seen the link?"

"You can't blame yourself for that, Tomoyo-san. You have been brought into the world of Royalty since young—your father was The Prince and so was your grandfather. So it's natural for you to receive an invitation. But for us… I can only say Nadeshiko suffered a lot during her Royalty term of office. She made me promise to prevent Touya-kun and Sakura-chan from entering the political world of The Royalty. I've rejected every single invitation that was sent to me over the years. It didn't cross my mind that they would address it to Sakura-chan this year… After all, your grandpa did disown Nadeshiko…"

Sakura knew about her grandfather disowning her mother so it was not surprising for her to hear it from her father again. Eriol, on the other hand, was pretty shocked by the news. "But why did they send it to me?"

"As I've said earlier, I have been rejecting all invitations for a long time now. I guess Li-san found out about you being Nadeshiko's daughter in some unknown ways and sent it directly to you. She was, after all, the one pulling the strings in The Royalties right now since her son is in the position."

"But that would mean Sakura-chan is exposed now," Eriol said. "It would be impossible for her to ignore the invitation now, wouldn't it?"

Fujitaka leaned his elbows on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling an upcoming headache. He knew it was a matter of time before they were exposed and he was hoping that he would be able to keep his children out of it.

"But it doesn't make any sense to me… If she knew my mother was The Princess, why does she still oppose to me being together with Syaoran?"

Fujitaka shrugged. "She probably doesn't know about you. Nadeshiko didn't keep in contact with The Royalties after graduating from High School and then she married me." A warm smile spread across his face as he was recalling the past when he was younger with sweet Nadeshiko by his side. "Then she had Touya and then you."

The way Fujitaka said that made Sakura feel as if he was proud of her and proud of his children. Sakura's breath hitched as tears welled up in her eyes. Somehow, she felt guilty for bringing the mess to her family. In truth, the whole crazy mess started with her encounter with Syaoran at the fast-food restaurant.

"Otou-san… I'm so sorry…"

A look of shock passed Fujitaka's face before he hurried to Sakura's side. He pulled her into his arms despite having guests in the house and patted her back consolingly. She heard him exhale loudly in a sigh. "It's not your fault, Sakura. It would have happened eventually. If there's anyone to blame, then blame me since I'm the one keeping the truth from you and Touya."

"But…"

Fujitaka patted her head like she was still a young child who needed to be pacified. "It's not your fault and _never_ will be. I just want you to be happy."

"But I am happy."

"You'll be happier once everything is over," Fujitaka said. "I will see to it."

"But how?"

Fujitaka released Sakura and stepped back grinning at her. "First, we'll attend the function and then we'll see from there."

* * *

**Oh yea! Finished a week earlier! How's that for you? :D**

**Anyway, I've paused my job hunt while I revise for my last paper. I wouldn't want to disrupt the office with my study leave... It'll be troublesome for the company I suppose. That means I'll have a bit more time to write! But I'll be spending some time on my ORIGINAL story. Not sure if I'll be posting it online but I may be looking for beta readers for that but that will be in the future.**

**Oh, and I'm continuing The Chase since it consists of really short chapters and it makes it easy and fast to update. :) Stay tuned!**

**Btw, did you join me at FB? If you did, you would have noticed there's sneak previews on my progress every few days. :D It's fun posting my updates on FB.**

**Happy weekend!**


	30. Chapter 30

I know I'm way behind schedule for this week. Life is hectic for the past week with exams revisions for the paper in two weeks' time. I've just finished the chapter and updated it BUT it is not edited yet so there might be some grammar and spelling error. They will be corrected latest by Tuesday and re-uploaded. Kindly bear with me a moment until then. So here you go... BMV Chapter 30.

**REUPLOADED ON 7 MAY 2012 - Edits done! :)**

* * *

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 30**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

* * *

"Sakura-chan, are you ready?" Tomoyo asked while resisting the urge to tap her feet on the floor. She didn't want to dig a big hole in the narrow corridor outside Sakura's room. "You have been inside for almost fifteen minutes. What's taking you so long?"

"I can't wear this!" Sakura grumbled audibly from her room, almost whining. "What would otou-san say about this? This is… scandalous!"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes and smoothed her sleeveless midnight blue satin dress, trying not to wrinkle it as she leaned against the wall wearily. "You wound me, Sakura-chan. I will never make something that is unacceptable in the eyes of the public and especially for this special and extremely important occasion. Would you just wear it and come out of your room? I still have some finishing touches to make everything perfect and you are wasting my time."

"Then all of you can just go ahead without me," came Sakura's bitter reply. "I'm not going."

Tomoyo counted to ten silently, calmly herself down before speaking lest she regret the words she said out of anger and frustration. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Why are you doing this to _me_?"

"What are you talking about? Didn't we agree to this beforehand?" Tomoyo shot back. She pressed her eyes shut and tried to even her breathing—she was close to spitting fire. "Which part of my most sought after design didn't agree with you?"

"The back!"

"Well, you do need to know that there isn't any back for the dress so you shouldn't dislike it," Tomoyo quipped.

"That's exactly the issue with the dress!"

"Is she ready?" Eriol asked, stepping into the corridor from the stairs. "We only have about half an hour before we have to set off."

"I'm trying my very best already." Tomoyo sighed and looked pointedly at the door. "The stubborn girl refuses to wear the dress I specially designed for her."

"All of us heard that from the living room. Kinomoto-san is getting anxious."

"That's understandable given that he doesn't really want to attend but this is another matter for Sakura-chan. She has to attend for the Prince's sake. If she doesn't, who knows what tricks Li-san is going to be playing at the ball to get them to leave each other."

Eriol folded his arms over his tuxedo-clad frame and scratched his chin with one hand pensively. "You know… I've tried to hint Syaoran about Sakura-san's invitation but it seemed that he was in the dark about it. Li-sama probably didn't tell him a thing about it and I sense something off here. He still doesn't know that she is attending the ball. Perhaps she really has some tricks up her sleeves and Sakura-san might be walking straight into her well-laid trap."

Tomoyo gasped. "I didn't think about it before! We were always busy preparing for the ball for the whole of last week to give it much thought. Now that you have mentioned it, it does sound suspicious. Would… Would Sakura-chan be in any danger?"

Eriol scoffed. "Li-san isn't stupid to resort to low handed means such as injuring others to get what she wants. Bribe maybe but definitely not harm."

"Even so, she might be contemplating to do something bad. Right?"

"Most probably," Eriol said gravely. "That is why all of us have to be near Sakura-san at all times while we are there. We need to keep a look out for possible verbal attack."

Tomoyo nodded her head in agreement to his plan before her gaze strayed back to the closed door. "But first we need to get her to dress up and get out of her room!"

"Can I not go?" Sakura's strained voice was heard, followed by the soft rustling sounds from within the room. Eriol raised a brow at Tomoyo in a silent question, which she returned with a wide-eyed look. There was a click as the knob turned and Sakura stuck her head out to peer at the two of them standing just outside her door. "Can I?" she pleaded again with a pout.

"Absolutely not! You _must_ attend or else you would be seen as fearing the all mighty Li-sama! You don't want that, do you?"

"I don't suppose so," she replied a little hesitatingly. When Tomoyo pursed her lips at her, Sakura gulped visibly and pulled the door further so that she can step out of the room. She was rewarded with a lit in Tomoyo's eyes. Eriol even whistled in appreciation when he saw what she was wearing. Sakura squirmed in her pink satin dress that fit snugly to her small frame, and ended just above her knees. The deep V on the front emphasized her cleavage and she longed to stuff some cloth inside so that it wasn't so obvious—it was embarrassing for her. It wasn't uncomfortable at all even in the dress though she was not used to wearing so little. Touya would definitely have a fit when he saw what she was wearing. She made sure to tie the halter straps tightly behind her neck, lest it fell off during the ball and embarrassed everyone.

Tomoyo's eyes twinkled at the sight of her cousin, all dressed up and ready to go. "You look stunning!" she said. "I knew you will look great in my dress! And now for the final touches… Back into your room!"

"After I have finally mustered enough courage to step out of it?" Sakura said with a tinge of sarcasm.

Tomoyo clucked her tongue at her and Eriol grinned at the scene the two ladies presented. Sakura was trying not to get inside the room while Tomoyo was just as determined to drag her back inside to put on some make-up on her cousin. "Don't worry, I'll drag you out of the room even if you resist later on. I'll get Eriol to help too!"

"I'll be glad to help Tomoyo," Eriol answered, his grin widening.

"When did the two of you start calling each other on first name basis?"

Tomoyo was caught off guard and blushed immediately. However, she didn't let go of Sakura as she dragged her cousin forcefully into the room and slammed the door close behind them. Sakura heard Eriol chuckle outside her door before his footsteps receded away from the corridor and she presumed he went downstairs. She watched as Tomoyo scrambled towards her dresser and pulled out her seldom used make-up set, the one which Tomoyo had gifted her quite some time ago.

"So? What am I missing out there?"

"What?" Tomoyo asked, feigning ignorance as she dutifully picked out the necessary cosmetics and placed it on the dresser before turning to face Sakura. "Sit here," she said, patting on the stool in front of the small dresser.

Sakura arched a brow at her, seeing through her façade immediately. "Don't try to pretend you don't understand what I'm asking. I know that you have heard me perfectly." Tomoyo ignored her and dabbed some make-up base and then some other stuff over Sakura's face. Sakura remained silent while Tomoyo worked her magic on her but she didn't forget about her question. She made a mental reminder to ask her again when they were done. With her deft fingers, it didn't take more than ten minutes to finish up her masterpiece. Tomoyo took a step back and beamed at Sakura, who was sitting quietly on the stool.

"I'm done!" Tomoyo said and began packing the items back into the dresser. "You'll be the attention of all the males in the ball later! Mark my words."

It was true. Sakura couldn't believe her transformation and that the make-up really did wonders to her face. She shot Tomoyo a harassed look. "Don't think that you are left off the hook! I'll get the answer if not from you then from somebody else."

"Be my guest, then." Tomoyo replied and Sakura sighed. It looked like she wouldn't get any answer out from Tomoyo's mouth. She probably had to ask Eriol but she doubted he would be willing to share. "So, let's go before the guys burst into the room screaming that we are taking too much time hiding inside here."

"So… Can I just stay here?"

"We are not going back into that again, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo warned. "Don't even think about it."

Sakura sighed. "Can't hurt to ask again."

Tomoyo linked her arm through Sakura's and half-dragged her out of the room and then presenting her to the waiting men in the living room with pride. "I present to you—the princess of the day, minus the sparkling tiara."

Touya was speechless for a moment as he gazed at his sister before turning to look at Tomoyo incredulously. "Who is she? Do I know her" he asked half jokingly.

"I'm glad you _approved_," Sakura said, a little annoyed at her brother's attempt at sarcasm. Sakura did a twirl in the presence of the small crowd in the living room just to irk her brother and was satisfied when it got the reaction she was waiting for.

"What is _that_?" Touya boomed.

Sakura toyed with the small pleats on the dress which gathered in her middle. "A dress?" she said, trying not to sound too nervous. "Tomoyo made this specially for me."

"I may just wrap you like a mummy if you don't find something to cover up yourself," he said. "This is indecent."

"Indecent?" Tomoyo almost shouted at him, ticked off that he was trying to insult her design. "This is the norm for balls! As a model, you must have seen other people wearing much lesser!"

"Sakura isn't a model," Touya replied. "And she isn't other people."

"Touya, don't be rude," Fujitaka warned as he adjusted his tie. Even though he had agreed to attend the ball, he was still apprehensive about it. "Tomoyo-san has kindly helped Sakura with her dress and I must agree that it looks nice on her."

"Thank you!" Tomoyo smiled at him gratefully, thankful for having one supporter.

"I have to agree with that too," Eriol added in. Touya scowled at the younger man for his unwanted opinion. "Don't be so angry. I know you are impressed with the dress too."

Touya refused to answer him. "Just put on a jacket or something and then we'll set off. The limousine is already waiting."

Sakura eyes went round at that. Put on a jacket and risk insulting Tomoyo? Never. "There's a limousine outside our house? That will attract the attention of our neighbors!"

"Well, since Tomoyo insists on coming over here before we set off, I figured it would be better to have a limousine to bring us there," Eriol said. "Or was my decision a mistake?"

"There's no need to worry about it. The limousine has just arrived without any disturbance to the neighborhood. Plus, the paparazzi would not be able to get a wind of this any time soon so we are relatively safe from them," Tomoyo replied.

Sakura nodded her head in understanding. She was all right with anything as long as they don't bring added attention to themselves. The only thing she was worried at the moment was being seen together with Touya at the ball. She really wondered if there would be another scandal involving the two of them even though they were siblings and if Touya was able to handle it well.

"Shall we?" Eriol asked as he offered his arm to Tomoyo.

As usual, there were two neat lines of bodyguards outside the house leading to the limousine. Sakura's smile seemed forced as she walked down the path with her brother by her side. "Will it really be all right for you to come with us?" Sakura asked Touya. "Won't it affect you?"

"Don't worry about me, squirt," Touya said. "I can take care of things on my own. Just worry about yourself."

Sakura gave him a doubtful look but she didn't comment any further. The silence was thick in the limousine on the way to the hotel. There wasn't much light within the car itself and Sakura was thankful for that. The lack of light helped to hide her own nervousness despite repeated reassurances given by Tomoyo. She couldn't help it since she was not exposed to such situations. What if she said something wrong and ended up embarrassing her family? She didn't even know how to conduct herself in the presence of influential people. She was also worried about Syaoran. How would he react when he saw her at the ball? Would he pretend that he didn't know her since he was around his peers? Everything weighed upon Sakura's shoulders and she suddenly felt weary.

"We are almost reaching," Eriol said, breaking the silence. "Remember to remain vigilant and brace for any form of verbal attack. We need to keep a look out for paparazzi as well since Tooki is joining us as well."

Touya winced at the mention of his stage name. He recovered almost immediately and threw a glare at Eriol. "No mention of that name in my presence."

Eriol raised both hands in mock surrender. "I'll keep that in mind. There's no need to bite my head off."

"Touya…" Fujitaka warned.

"I'm not even doing anything," Touya muttered.

"Will you be more mature, _Tooki_?" Sakura taunted with a slight smirk and strangled sounds were what she heard from him.

xxx

If she was nervous in the limousine, she was violently quaking in her legs and almost fainting as she stepped through the grand entrance of the ballroom hanging onto Touya's arms as if it was her only lifeline. She was awestruck by the magnificent interior of the hotel and at the expanse of the ballroom. The ballroom itself consisted of two floors. The first floor was a small area where guests were permitted entrance and there was a wide staircase that led to the lower floor where the main event was taking place.

A man dressed in neat black suit stopped them and requested for their invitation. Touya slid it out from the pocket within his suit and handed it over to the man, who glanced through the names on the invitation briefly before handing over to another man behind him dressed in similar fashion. To her horror, the second man read the name on the invitation card aloud through a microphone and blasted it throughout the noisy ballroom.

"The arrival of Miss Kinomoto Sakura and her guest!"

The noise level dropped significantly at the mere mention of her name and a sense of dread filled Sakura. Without waiting for further instructions, Touya pulled Sakura forward into the ballroom and descended the staircase. She caught sight of Yelan in the middle of the ballroom mingling with other guests and she was staring back at her but with a smirk on her face. Everyone was staring at her and murmuring among themselves. Sakura felt a little uneasy with the added attention. She didn't manage to see Syaoran around in the crowded ballroom as she made her way down but if he was there, Sakura was sure he would have heard her name.

"The arrival of Miss Daidouji Tomoyo, daughter of Prince Daidouji Kazuhiro and the arrival of Mister Hiiragizawa Eriol, son of Prince Hiiragizawa Toshio!"

Yelan excused herself from her current group of guests and she was slowly making her way towards Sakura. An evil smirk spread across her face. Touya did not have enough time to veer Sakura off to a secluded area before Yelan caught up with. He cursed when he realized that there was no escape for them.

"So I see that you've received my invitation," Yelan mused as she eyed Sakura critically. "You have certainly outdone yourself. Congratulations. I really did not expect this."

"Thank you so much for your compliments," Sakura replied, trying to muster up her courage. Her voice still sounded a little shaky and she almost kicked herself for that mistake alone. "I'm glad to have met your expectations."

"If you are looking for my son, you will be sorely disappointed. He won't arrive until much later and thus he doesn't even know that you are here." Yelan grinned maliciously. "There'll be a special announcement later on so I expect you to be still here for that."

"If you are trying to humiliate Sakura in any way, I'll be sure to take it back on you," Touya retorted angrily.

"Ah… The famous Tooki. Still as hot tempered as ever."

Sakura jerked on his arm as a silent reminder for him to cool down before disaster struck. He took a deep breath and sought for control. Then, the man announced the next guest in their queue.

"The arrival of Mr Kinomoto Fujitaka, husband of Princess Amamiya Nadeshiko!"

Yelan froze and jerked her eyes towards the top of the stairs where Fujitaka was standing. She was gaping at him and her demeanor changed completely. Sakura was surprised. She didn't know that anything could surprise Yelan until this moment in time.

"It can't be…" Yelan murmured as she continued to stare at Fujitaka. "Nadeshiko's husband?"

* * *

**So I've revealed who the sender of the invitation is and her reaction to Fujitaka's presence at the ball. Did you enjoy the chapter?**

**I will be taking a short break from writing until my exams are over on the 21st May. So, there won't be anything until then. Do check my FB page for the latest updates anytime. :)**

**Have a great week ahead!**

**P.S. Thanks Ai-chan for pointing out that I have repeated chapters below the chapter. Already removed them! Arigatou! **


	31. Chapter 31

First and foremost, thanks to my dearest readers for your lovely reviews: muDi159, kira07, dragonroses, ForeverKuran, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, SeafoamMist, redeyes143, RosyRedPen, konan248, ChannelForsk, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, Astrid01 and princesskisara. Reviews are hard to come by nowadays. So, I really thank you so so so so MUCH for taking precious time to leave a review. Love you!

* * *

****In the previous chapter, the gang was discussing about the invitation to a very important function and preparing to go to the ball! Yelan seemed pretty shocked to learn of Sakura's identity.

* * *

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 31**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

Sakura clung onto her brother's sturdy arm as she watched the expression turned from smug to horror on Yelan's face. It left Sakura gaping in surprise as she struggled to assess the bizarre situation. From her previous conversations with Fujitaka, she had known that her father knew Yelan but not the other way round. So, why did Yelan just called out her mother's name? Even Touya looked kind of shocked as well but he was doing a good job at schooling his expression into one of feigned disinterest.

"You!" Yelan shouted, pointing towards them and attracting more stares from the guests around them. Sakura shrank closer to Touya unconsciously and felt her brother's comforting hand on hers immediately, giving her some comfort. "Are you Nadeshiko's children?"

"I don't see the reason for you to be asking us that question," Touya replied. He sounded very confident of himself and Sakura felt some of it seeped into her. Despite her quivering nerves, Sakura managed to stand tall and proud in front of this malicious woman intent on taking pleasure in torturing her.

"Answer me!"

Sakura's eyes widened at Yelan's unexpected outburst. Touya didn't say anything as he continued to have a staring contest with the woman. Yelan was clearly spitting fire at him for his insolence. To make matter even worse, they were becoming the center of attraction among all the important and influential guests. This was bad news for them indeed, especially for Touya. He didn't seem concerned about their current situation and continued to taunt Yelan.

"Why should we?"

Yelan gritted her teeth in anger and took in a deep breath to calm herself. Sakura could see that Yelan's hands were fisted and trembling slightly. That was the only contradiction in her whole demeanor. "I'll make you regret this," she spat and narrowed her eyes on Touya.

"I can see that you are still resorting to using threats." Fujitaka had come to stand beside his children and faced Yelan together with them. His face held no fury at finding his children subjected to such a display of anger in such a big crowd. Yelan paled immediately and took a step backwards as if the mere sight of Fujitaka threatened her.

"You are Nadeshiko's… husband?"

"It seems like you still remember her after all these years," Fujikata said. His voice was kind as usual. "I'm really surprised you've sent an additional invitation to Sakura this year. We must really express our gratitude for being invited to such an important function."

"I never thought that Nadeshiko would marry someone like you." Yelan folded her hands primly in front of her, exuding an air of calmness but Sakura knew otherwise. Somehow, she felt that Yelan was _pretending_ to be calm in front of her father.

Sakura felt a little dizzy as she watched the exchange between the two grown ups. Her head was flipping side to side as if she was watching a tennis match instead of a verbal exchange. "I'm a little confused about everything that's going on here," Sakura admitted to Touya.

"It doesn't seem like she invited you because you are Amamiya-san's daughter," Eriol said.

Sakura jumped. She didn't know Eriol was just beside them. When she turned to look at him, she found Tomoyo clutching onto his offered arm with a slight blush on her face. Despite the tense situation, Sakura found herself grinning at the couple and had to refrain herself from teasing them openly. Tomoyo shot her a warning look which Sakura replied with a playful wink.

"Be serious!" Tomoyo mouthed to her and Sakura sobered up.

"I wouldn't wish to invite _you_ here but since you are here, just stay around and _enjoy_ yourselves." Yelan frowned at Fujitaka before turning her head and walked away from them, effectively dismissing them from her present company.

"You—" Touya took a step towards Yelan's retreating form but Sakura held him back with a tug on his arm. He sighed when Sakura shook her head as immediately understood that it was an unwise action on his part. "Your face is all scrunching up. Relax. I'm not going around the crowded place just to bash the old lady up even though that is what I really wish to do right now."

"What?" Sakura gasped and she couldn't suppress the giggles that were bursting from within her. "Did you just call her old? I can imagine what her reaction would be to that description!"

Touya grinned and winked at her.

"That a taboo word for all ladies in general," Eriol commented with a sly grin. "If you decide to say it to her anytime, do give me advance notice. I'd love to witness the scene. Explosive!"

Tomoyo slapped his arm in response. "She's your elder! The least you can do is to respect her!"

"I've already caused enough trouble," Sakura said. "Please try not to worsen it for me, please."

"I'm trying!" Touya replied as he drew her away from the curious eyes in the ballroom. The group retreated to a secluded corner, away from the big crowd gathering in the middle of the ballroom. He looked at the rows of round tables lined up neatly in front of the big stage and frowned. "Which is our table?"

Sakura frowned in confusion. "Are the tables assigned?"

"I think I see number tags on the table," Tomoyo replied. It's obvious she had good eyesight.

"There is?"

"Isn't that what I've just told you?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes you did. I was just confirming. I don't know why but I have the sudden urge to go back home right now. You are making it worse. Don't tempt me further, Tomoyo-chan."

"After all I did for your dress? No way!"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by bright flashes of lights dancing in front of her. She blinked in surprise at the few men with bulky cameras in their hands. Touya stiffened beside her and she realized those men were the dreaded paparazzi. The cameras in their hands were a sure giveaway. Then the men were pressing something that looked like mini microphones in front of their faces and blasting question after question at them. It was impossible to hear anyone clearly when everyone was speaking at the exact same time. Sakura did catch a few words which sounded suspiciously like "girl" and "friend" though.

"One at a time," Touya growled. The paparazzi remained unfazed though and continued to press on. "Sakura, do you want to find our table first?"

Touya removed Sakura's hand on his arm and gently pushed her towards Fujitaka, who promptly ushered the small group towards the tables. He wasn't giving her any choice in this matter. She was glad she could escape the clutches of the paparazzi even though she felt bad for leaving Touya to handle them alone. She still could remember how badly he reacted to them when those crazy paparazzi ended up at their front gates.

"There isn't any table number on my invitation card," Sakura said, despaired when she saw for herself that the tables were indeed allocated with a number tag each. "What do we do now?"

Fujitaka squeezed her shoulder in assurance. "Remember we still have your mother's invitation card? We are going to be sitting together with Tomoyo."

Sakura squealed with delight and pounced onto Tomoyo, who struggled a little at the additional weight. "At least this is one good news!"

"Make it two, because I'm ditching the Li family and sharing tables with you too."

Sakura snorted. "Not me. Just Tomoyo-chan."

"You wound me with your words," Eriol replied, clutching his heart in mock pain. "Do I look like such a heartless person? Haven't I proven myself by making that jump into the pool?"

"Well, you don't have to keep reminding me about it, Mr Hero." Sakura's lips twitched a little as she tried not to smile at Eriol's antics. She knew he was just trying to cheer her up and distract her from thinking too much. It worked.

"Mr Hero has a nice ring to it. I don't mind being called that."

"Ew… Mr Egoistic." Sakura blanched and then burst out laughing when a harassed look flashed across Eriol's face.

"Stop teasing him in such a public event," Tomoyo admonished.

"And you are already jumping to his defense on the day I found out that the two of you are on first name basis. Nice," Sakura said, grinning broadly at her friends.

"For your information, aren't you on first name basis with him too?" Tomoyo countered.

Sakura shrugged. "I guess it's a little different since you aren't very comfortable with strangers calling you by your name."

"Strangers huh? I feel so special now." Eriol commented and was rewarded with a light punch.

"You know what? Forget I mentioned anything. Just tease him all you want. I don't care."

"Children, keep it down," Fujitaka said, alerting them that they had been chattering loudly and disturbing others. He looked amused by their meaningless banter. They settled themselves at their assigned table. "It seems that Sonomi-san hasn't arrived yet. It has been quite some time since I saw her."

Tomoyo checked the time on Eriol's wristwatch, pulling back his sleeves in order for her to do so. If Eriol had thought that her action was intimate, he didn't comment on it. "She'll be anytime now. She'll be really shock when she sees you at our table."

"There you are! I've been hearing about you from everywhere!" A shrill female voice sounded from behind Sakura.

Sakura whirled around in her seat and her eyes widened at the sight of Meiling, standing just a few feet away. Both her hands were on her hips and she looked ready to kill someone. "Li-san?"

"Oh for goodness sake, you are my cousin's girlfriend. Shouldn't we be like family right now? Call me Meiling."

Sakura blushed and Tomoyo snickered. Great, it was her turn to be teased. What a great switch in roles. "Is something wrong? You looked really angry." Sakura commented, trying to get Meiling to change the subject and praying hard that she did.

"Angry is such a mild word to describe what I'm feeling right now. Why are you _here_?"

"Why shouldn't I be? I got an invitation."

"That's impossible!" Meiling exclaimed. She deftly plucked the invitation out from Sakura's hands and glimpsed through the content. Her face turned pale when she returned it to Sakura. "There is obviously something going on here. You cannot remain here."

"You seem to know about something that we don't," Eriol said, eyeing Meiling warily.

"You are right about that, Mr England."

"Why do people keep giving me names today? So what if I came from England? I don't understand why you need to call me that everytime you see me." Eriol muttered but Meiling ignored him totally.

"Follow me," Meiling said and grabbed Sakura's hands, pulling her to her feet forcefully. "You really need to get out of here."

"Tomoyo-chan is going to kill me if I leave," Sakura protested and snuck a glance at her cousin. "And I did go through a lot to make the decision to be here. Will you at least tell me why I can't be here?"

"It is not the time to explain now." Meiling continued to tug her along and Sakura was impressed by her strength. "Just follow me."

"I'll be fine," Sakura called out to Fujitaka lest he got worried about her. "I'll contact you guys later."

Meiling took her to one of the exits on the ballroom floor instead of using the grand staircase. Sakura was relieved that nobody paid any attention to her as they made their hasty exit. Instead of leaving the hotel premises, Sakura was surprised that Meiling pulled her into the lift and made their way up to the hotel rooms. Seeing that she was confused, Meiling explained to her that she was taking her up to her hotel room so that she could hide until the announcement was over.

"I overheard Aunt Yelan's plans for today," Meiling admitted. "It wasn't pleasant and we thought it would be better if you are not present. I didn't know Aunt Yelan knew we would remove your name from the invitation list and re-sent you another one."

"She did ask us to stay around for the announcement," Sakura agreed.

"She's definitely up to no good." They stepped out of the lift and Sakura followed Meiling's lead only pausing when Meiling stood in front of a door for a few moments before going to the next one. Sakura raised a brow in confusion but chose not to comment. Perhaps she just forgot which room she had and was thinking if the earlier room was the correct one. Sakura watched quietly as Meiling fumbled for the keycard before she slid into the lock. "So, will you stay here for just a moment?"

"Aren't you going to stay with me too?" Sakura asked when Meiling remained in the corridor.

"I have to be at the function but you'll only be here for a little while. You don't have to worry about anything."

"If you say so."

Sakura stepped into the room and waved to Meiling before closing the door with a loud click. It was a spacious room. Even though it was pretty simple with the basic furniture, the room looked comfortable to stay in. The night scene at the balcony drew Sakura forward into the room and she was mesmerized by the sparkling lights everywhere.

"It's beautiful!"

The sound of the door knob turning captured her attention. Meiling must have forgotten something in the room. Sakura turned around and looked at the entrance—empty. No one was at the door and it wasn't even opened. Her eyes fell on a figure by another door in the room, which she had not noticed earlier, and gasped. Her jaws would have dropped to the floor if she hadn't remembered to close them.

It was Syaoran and he had just emerged from the bathroom. And to Sakura's delight or dismay or embarrassment or even a combination of all three contradicting feelings, he wasn't wearing anything.

And he was looking right back at her.

* * *

**My first update after my exams! Yay! Did you know I was giggling as I typed the last few sentences for this chapter? It just came out and I couldn't help it! XD**

**Hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Do join me on Facebook for updates and sneak peeks. **

**More reviews? *puppy eyes***


	32. Chapter 32

**Once again, many thanks to my dearest readers, especially those who left a lovely review. They really made me smile! Thanks to: vedha, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, princess14147, Astrid01, ChannelForsk, Khimae, Kimiko17, Fashion Fairy 26, konan248, Meryq, SeafoamMist, kira07, dragonroses, redeyes143, NollasBlack and ForeverKuran! Thank you!**

**In the last chapter: Sakura and gang were at the ball and they encountered Yelan, who wanted them to stay around until she made a special announcement...**

* * *

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 32**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_Oh my gosh! _Sakura thought inwardly as she continued to stare. It was as if someone had used some magical powers on her to keep her frozen on the spot. She just couldn't feel her eyes away from Syaoran's form—Syaoran's out-of-the-bath-and-naked form. His body was wet and dripping water all over the floor, creating a small puddle at his feet. Sakura felt her heart did a crazy marathon at that. _Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!_

Her throat felt dry and she definitely couldn't say anything even if she wanted to. Not that she had anything to say when she was busy screaming like mad in her head. It would be truly embarrassing if Syaoran were to find out what she was thinking at the moment. Definitely awkward. Sakura tried to avert her gaze to anywhere but the guy about two dozen feet away from her.

Syaoran was the first person to break the eye contact, reaching into the bathroom to grab a bathing robe just hanging on one of the hooks. He slid into it gracefully as if it made especially for him. Too bad it engulfed his lean frame, not allowing Sakura to see the rippling muscles on his arms and his well-defined abs. Sakura stopped there, forcing herself to look back to his face. He had an amusing grin on his face. Uh oh! Sakura was caught staring at him!

Her eyes grew wide when Syaoran started walking to her. She took a step back in response and found herself leaning onto the glass windows of the balcony. The coldness of the smooth glass shocked her into a gasp and she jerked away from it.

Syaoran chuckled, closing the remaining distance between them and pulling Sakura into his arms. She resisted a little before giving in and settled herself comfortably in his arms. "It's not as if I'm going to eat you up. Relax!" That was when Syaoran froze when his hand came into contact with the bare skin on Sakura's back. "What the—"

Sakura frowned against his robe, confused as to why Syaoran was suddenly patting her back. It was not as if she required any comforting for scaring the daylights out of herself when the barely dressed Syaoran came closer to her. "What?" She squeaked when Syaoran's hands moved lower on her back, sending electricity surges down her spine.

His hands tightened around her. "What are you _wearing_?" Syaoran asked, pulling away from her in shock. Sakura could hear a tinge of anger from his tone. He was frowning when she peeked up at him.

"A dress?" Sakura offered with a sheepish smile. "Tomoyo-chan made it for me. Pretty?" She felt an urge to make a twirl for him, showcasing the perfect dress that was personally made by her cousin. It was silly, considering Syaoran's frown at it but it was a one-of-a-kind dress that was not available to public and Sakura was doubtful if it ever would. She was proud of Tomoyo's creations, even though she was too shy to wear some of them.

She looked on in confusion as he stalked to the closet and withdrew his suit jacket. "She should think twice before making this for you," he muttered, coming back to her and putting on the jacket for her. Sakura sighed and snuggled into the warm jacket; she didn't even realize she that was feeling cold. "Make sure you don't catch a cold in that attire."

"Yes sir!" Sakura exclaimed, and did a mock salute thus earning her an amused grin on Syaoran's face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your cousin brought me up," Sakura replied truthfully. Meiling was supposed to bring Sakura to _her_ room and she should have sensed that something was wrong the moment Meiling hesitated outside a door. That was probably the moment when she decided to spring a trick or two on time. It never occurred to Sakura that Meiling was capable of such things. It was super embarrassing to have caught Syaoran in a state of undress, even though she didn't let her eyes stray away from his upper body. Her face flamed when she thought of that.

Syaoran had remained unfazed throughout the whole ordeal, even calmly reaching into the bathroom to grab a robe to wrap himself. If Sakura was in her position, she would probably have died of embarrassment! She never wanted to be in this position ever again.

"Meiling? Yeah, she would do something like this," Syaoran said. "And I thought Kireirei was bad enough. Ends up they are both the same. Anyway—coming back to our main topic—you shouldn't be here today. You know my mother. She will do anything that she can to put you in a difficult position. I've already intercepted your invitation but it seemed that it wasn't an effective solution."

"I received another one," Sakura said.

Syaoran sighed and sat down on the edge of the four poster bed. "I figured that out the moment I saw you in my room."

"So what are we going to do now? Just stay here and wait until the storm blows over?" Sakura asked, joining him on the bed. She was careful to put some distance between them. "She already knows I'm at the ball. She was telling me that there will be an announcement later and I should stick around to hear it."

"Announcement? She didn't tell me anything about it!" Syaoran scratched his chin in deep thought. "That will probably be some unpleasant news if she wants you to be here to witness it."

"So it's best I don't witness it?" Sakura asked, a little unsure of how to proceed with the sticky situation.

Syaoran smiled, causing Sakura's heart to do a flip. He looked much more breathtaking when he was smiling. "I've got a better idea."

"You do?"

"Trust me," Syaoran replied with a wink.

xxx

"Sakura-chan has been gone for an awfully long time, don't you think?" Tomoyo asked, tugging onto Eriol's sleeve to get his attention even though they were standing really close to each other. "Do you think we should look for her? I'm a little worried."

Eriol pressed closer to Tomoyo, pressing his hand against her back and squeezing her slightly to reassure her. "She's with Meiling—she'll be fine with her."

"But still it has already been an hour," Tomoyo argued. "And Touya-kun is still busy handling the paparazzi while uncle is nowhere to be seen. Nobody seems to be worried about Sakura-chan. At least I'm the one who does."

"I saw your mother talking to him just a few moments ago," Eriol replied, scanning over the crowd to find their targets standing on the opposite ends of the ballroom talking with animated hand gestures. They seemed to be in an argument of some sorts. "Tell me something, does your mother get along well with Sakura's father? I think I saw them arguing there."

"They are?" Tomoyo asked, surprised. She twisted in her seat to squint at where Eriol was pointing to. "I have no idea. They haven't seen each other for a very long time. Wait… Are you trying to change the topic? I was asking about Sakura-chan!" She slapped his arm with a loud smack which had him wincing in pain.

"Ow! That hurts!" Eriol exclaimed, nursing his wounded arm. "I wasn't trying to change the topic or anything. I'm just stating what I'm seeing. I thought you might be interested about your mother and Sakura-chan's father." Tomoyo pressed her lips into a thin line, not impressed by Eriol's attempt to placate her. Eriol finally caved in. "Fine! I was trying to steer off the topic but that's because I don't want you to worry too much about Sakura-chan."

"I'm her family. I have the right to be worried."

"Yes, you do but she's a big girl now. Moreover, Syaoran and I trust Meiling. Sakura-chan will be safe with her.

"You think so?" Tomoyo asked, a brow rising in query.

"And knowing Meiling, I'm sure Sakura-chan is in the safest place possible right now," Eriol said and smiled when Tomoyo relaxed into her chair. She was half leaning against him and it definitely felt comfortable, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"If I find out that you are lying to me, I'm not going to talk to you ever again!"

Eriol gently pick up Tomoyo's hand and pressed a quick kiss to the back of her hand. "I'll never lie to you."

"Ew! Gross!" Touya commented as he joined them at the table, looking a little haggard. "What a great way to welcome me back after I made my escape from the press."

"Jealous?" Tomoyo asked, taunting him.

Touya's nose scrunched up in distaste. "No, thank you. I prefer to be alone for now. I can't deal with more paparazzi hovering all over the place for juicy news. It's scary!"

"You can't run from them forever you know? So what? You are going to remain single for the rest of your life?" Tomoyo asked.

"Sounds like a good idea!" Touya replied, rolling his eyes before scanning the ballroom. "Where's Sakura? I thought you guys are supposed to keep an eye on her?"

"She was kidnapped," Tomoyo replied, and had to swallow down her giggles when Touya shot to his feet in panic. The chair almost toppled over in his haste.

"What? And why are the two of you so calm about it?" Touya exclaimed. "Where did you last see her?"

Eriol shook his head in amusement. "If people didn't know, they'd really think that Sakura-chan is your girlfriend instead of your sister. She's in good hands. I guarantee it."

"Where is she?" Touya growled, not satisfied by the answer he got.

"Meiling brought her to her hotel room," Eriol replied calmly. "It seems that Sakura-chan wasn't meant to receive the invitation but Syaoran's mother sent it to her. Meiling believes that there is something fishy going on around her and brought her away from the ballroom. They'll probably return after the announcement. I think the great Li-sama is about to give her fantastic speech now." He spied Yelan walking up to the mini stage.

The lights in the ballroom dimmed and a hush descended as everyone's attention was on Yelan. The stage was glaringly bright, making it a strain to look at. "Looks like it is an important announcement," Tomoyo whispered into Eriol's ear.

"I wonder what it could be," Eriol whispered back.

"Thank you for taking time to join us on this joyous event," Yelan spoke and her voice rang loudly throughout the ballroom. Eriol snorted at that. "As alumni of Royal High School, it is our responsibility to guide the current Prince and to ensure that the tradition of the Royalty is passed on. In addition to the annual Royal Event, I would like to make a special announcement to everyone. I'd like to announce my son's engagement and request everyone present to be our witness."

Tomoyo gasped, horrified by what she'd heard. An engagement announcement? That was what Yelan wanted Sakura to hear. That woman was wicked! Why did she want to tear the two of them apart?

"Please welcome my son and his fiancée onto the stage," Yelan announced and her voice was drowned out by the round of applause from the floor. Heads turned as guests turned to watch a tuxedo-clad Syaoran made his way to the stage with a lady in a familiar looking pink satin dress on his arm.

Tomoyo gasped as recognition dawned on her. "Sakura-chan!" she gasped, her eyes beaming as Sakura stood proudly beside Syaoran. Sakura turned to look in their direction and when their gazes connected, Sakura winked at them playfully. Tomoyo giggled. "I can't believe this!"

"Whoever thought of this is a genius," Eriol commented. "To beat the enemy in their own games… This is absolutely fantastic!"

"Good evening," Syaoran greeted into his the mini microphone attached to the lapels of his suit jacket. "I'd like to introduce my fiancée, Kinomoto Sakura, to everyone present. And with this, we are officially engaged."

Cheers erupted from the guests, especially the younger ones like Tomoyo and Eriol, who were practically shouting their approvals loudly, ignoring the stares from the people around them. This was a joyous occasion indeed.

Touya muttered while grinning madly at the same time. "Take that, _Li-sama_."

* * *

**And this is the end of the chapter!**

**At least we know what the announcement was but I threw in another question there. Wonder if you manage to spot it. There's still some unanswered questions which will be revealed in the chapters to come. The whole series should end by end of July, I hope. There'll be a Camp NaNoWriMo in August, which I intend to join to write a new CCS fanfiction. Maybe I can write a whole story within that one month? (But note that I will not be updating for that whole month). I find it a little tough to update the current stories and write another full story at the same time, which explains my slow speed now. (I'm writing a Young Adult fiction at the moment). Still, I'll try my best and aim for a chapter a week. Follow my facebook page for updates~ Love ya!**

**P.S. Thanks to ****Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius for pointing out a mistake I've made. I mixed up the names of the school! Goodness me. - Lasted updated June 18, 2012**


	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks to my fellow readers who have been supporting me by reading my fics and especially to those who left me such lovely reviews! I always jump with joy whenever I see a review notification in my email (and yes, I do check my mail at least once every hour). So, thanks to: muDi159, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, konan248, princess14147, Astrid01, kira07, NollasBlack, Kimiko17, Fashion Fairy 26, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, ForeverKuran, youare-who-youare, Khimae, EchizenRyoma, RosyRedPen, redeyes143, iAMeyu, dealand and SeafoamMist . That's 19 of you! :D Thank you! 3**

**In the last chapter, Sakura was "tricked" into Syaoran's hotel room and opps! :D Oh, and Syaoran made a shocking announcement to everyone present!**

* * *

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 33**

**By Sakura aka Michelle **

Sakura pressed closer to Syaoran as the paparazzi went into frenzy, frantically snapping pictures of the two of them on the stage. A serene smile was plastered onto her face as that was what Syaoran had advised her to do. It seemed a little forced but that was all she could manage at the moment with that many people swarming towards them. Awkward was the word that came into her mind.

"Relax," Syaoran murmured and she let his voice wash over her, infusing her with the much needed strength. Once this was over, life will definitely be much more peaceful. That was her only hope. She continued to smile at yet another eager paparazzo and did a little wave. Syaoran's hand tightened on her right shoulder. She looked at him in response and almost melted into a puddle on the ground at the sight of his dazzling smile.

_Blissful._

Sakura returned the smile—a genuine one this time round. Everything seemed so perfect with him around and all her worries were forgotten when she lost herself in his amber eyes. Syaoran grinned, as if knowing the effect he had on her.

Syaoran turned so that he was facing Sakura, who blinked in confusion at his sudden move. "What?" She mouthed to him a little breathlessly. He just smiled and reached up behind her neck and fumbled with the clasp of her necklace. His touch sent tingles down her spine and she had to refrain from shivering.

"This," he said, sliding the necklace away from her neck and removed the ring hanging on it. "This belongs here, reserved just for me." He picked up her left hand gently in both of his and slid the ring onto her ring finger. "This is my promise to you."

Sakura stared at the ring on her finger and wondered how many times she had removed it to hang it on her necklace and how many times it had somehow returned to her finger—all because of Syaoran. It seemed unbelievable, almost as if she was fated to wear it.

"Syaoran…" Sakura whispered softly, staring at her small hand in his and noting how perfect it looked.

"I'll never agree to it," Yelan interrupted in a hiss.

Sakura whirled around to stare wide-eyed at the matriarch. She looked ready to rip Sakura out of Syaoran's arms like some jealous girlfriend or wife. Sakura gripped onto Syaoran's hand tightly and felt him squeeze her hand back in return.

"You have no say in it," Syaoran replied calmly, mindful of the paparazzi around them. "Perhaps we can talk in private?"

Yelan nodded and eyed the paparazzi swarming around them, eagerly waiting for their heated exchange like starved vultures. She wasn't about to give them the satisfaction they craved. With one last sharp look in Sakura's direction, Yelan left the stage.

Sakura let out a breath that she wasn't aware she was holding on to. Despite her courageous retorts at Yelan, she still felt a little unnerved at her presence. She wondered if she was ever going to get used to seeing Yelan a lot. Probably not.

"Great job," Syaoran murmured. "You're wonderful, Sakura."

"What? I didn't do anything."

Syaoran chuckled and pulled her into a gentle hug. "You did a lot."

"I do?" Sakura blinked. She shivered when she felt Syaoran's hands warming up on her bare back. "What exactly did I do?"

Syaoran nuzzled Sakura's neck, earning a startled gasp from her. He chuckled again at her reaction—he just couldn't resist teasing her to see her cute reactions. "Thank you for staying by my side." He leaned back, gazing at her and grinned when he spotted a rosy blush on her cheeks. Before she could guess what he was up to, he pressed a quick kiss on her cheek and she almost fainted on the spot! How mortifying to be seen like this in front of the paparazzi! A high pitched squeal could be heard above the din the paparazzi were creating and Sakura identified it as her cousin's immediately.

"Syaoran!" Sakura admonished, her eyes darting to the mop of people beyond the stage. She was almost blinded by the dazzling flashes from the cameras and had to close her eyes momentarily to block them off.

Chuckling, Syaoran led Sakura off the stage and steered her towards where her family stood waiting for her. His body partly shielded her from the paparazzi, granting her a short reprieve from the dazzling flashlights. Tomoyo was clearly excited as she was jumping on her heels. If it was not for Eriol restraining her, Tomoyo would have run across the small distance separating us and tackled Sakura to death.

"I can't believe it!" Tomoyo squealed as Sakura came near to the group. "I totally wouldn't mind if the two of you make out on the stage. If would have taped it all down if I have my video camera with me."

Sakura covered her cheeks with her hands, trying to get her heated cheeks to cool down. "Stop teasing me!"

Meanwhile, Syaoran was trying to ignore the death glare that was aimed at him from a certain someone standing just a few feet away. He was a very difficult person to miss since he was standing near to them and didn't moved even an inch the moment Sakura and him joined the group. Syaoran sighed. He turned to address Touya. "Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Touya snorted. "I'd like to show you with my fists."

Sakura gasped. "Onii-chan!"

"I don't think you'll do it," Syaoran interjected confidently, staring back at Touya and evaluating his body language. "You wouldn't want to upset Sakura, especially in such a public event."

"Perceptive aren't you?" Touya sneered.

"Guys," Tomoyo drawled and rolled her eyes. When she realized that both Touya and Syaoran were looking at her, her expression turned sheepish. "I mean… Guys are… wonderful?"

"Leave her out of this," Eriol said. "Did she say anything to the both of you on the stage?"

Sakura shook her head, and was relieved that there wasn't any imminent fight. "But Syaoran did request that we have our conversation in private. Those paparazzi are getting crazy over there." She shuddered at the sight of the paparazzi. Thankfully, a group of men in black had barricaded them to probably fifty feet away from them. Sakura shouldn't be so amazed by Syaoran's efficient bodyguards but she still was.

"We are going to go up to my mother's room," Syaoran said. "We will just talk her into giving in to us and she will once she sees that she has no other options."

"I'll join you," Sonomi offered, alerting Sakura to the fact that Tomoyo's mother was here. With a squeal of delight, Sakura jumped at her one and only favorite aunt. Sonomi laughed and hugged her back, patting her head as if she was still a little child. "You don't have to worry about it. Aunt Sonomi will take care of it."

Sonomi looked at Syaoran, who bowed respectfully to her. She smiled in response, bobbing her head a little to acknowledge him. They had crossed paths before but didn't have a chance to speak to each other. What was there to talk about when Sonomi was not interested in the Royalty's affair, but that was until now. Sakura opened her mouth, seeming to argue but Sonomi cut her off. "I'm going with you whether you want it or not."

Sakura glanced at Syaoran, unease apparent on her face. Syaoran nodded once to assure her. The more people joining them, the merrier it would be. This would put additional pressure on Yelan and increase their chances of getting accepted. This was especially true because the Daidouji was an influential family that has connection with the Royalty. That was what he thought. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the group. "Shall we?" He offered his elbow to Sakura, who took it without any hesitation, bringing a smile to his lips. She looked up at him shyly, smiling back at him. He could get used to this.

Syaoran directed the group to the ballroom exit, flanked by his bodyguards who promptly paved a clear way for them, hence speeding up their exit. Nobody spoke a word during their short journey and before Sakura knew it, they were already at the fateful door, which was the one just beside Syaoran's.

"Ready?" Syaoran asked Sakura, noting the way her hands tightened on his arm. Sakura nodded but her lips were pressed into a grim line. He could feel nervousness radiating from her body. "Just let me do the talking later on, all right?" She nodded again.

Syaoran knocked on the door twice and waited patiently for his mother to answer it. He glanced at his little group of supporters (minus Touya since he wasn't exactly very supportive) and found them looking at the door apprehensively, as if they were expecting some kind of danger to be lurking from within. Sonomi was the only one who was looking very confident and she was trying to assure her daughter that everything would be fine. Syaoran raised a brow at that. Why was the woman so sure of the outcome when he himself wasn't a hundred percent confident in getting his mother to accept Sakura. He was already prepared for the worst to happen and was already making plans for it.

He heard the lock click and the door swung open. Yelan stood frowning at them from the door and her eyes narrowed on Sakura. "Um… We're sorry for disturbing your rest," Sakura murmured, feeling a little anxious under her scrutiny.

Yelan lifted her gaze to Syaoran before walking into the room, not bothering to wait for them to enter. Syaoran and Sakura entered the room, followed by the rest but they were stopped. "I only want to have a private conversation with my _son_. The rest of you are not invited and I appreciate that you remove your presence from my room."

Sakura gaped at the Yelan's haughtiness. Yelan was being rude to her family and friends openly when they did not do anything to offend her. Thinking about this infuriated Sakura immensely. Her hands were balled into fists and she took one threatening step forward, heedless of Syaoran's warnings.

"I don't care who you are or _what_ you are but you cannot be rude to my family and friends! They did nothing to deserve your obnoxious treatment!" Sakura almost screamed at her but she managed to tone down her emotions with much difficulty.

"Oh! Someone is being rude as well," Yelan sneered.

Syaoran stepped forward, shielding Sakura from Yelan's gaze. Sakura felt like hitting him for reducing her to some girl who was afraid of his mother, when she wasn't being some sort of cowardly girl. "You don't have to do this, mother. We only want to have a talk with you."

"Yes, a private conversation between you and me. The rest don't have to be in my room."

Syaoran sighed in frustration. It was useless to talk to his mother when she has made up her mind. "If you want them gone, I'll leave together with them as well. They come together with me as a package."

Sakura's heart warmed at Syaoran's words. He was siding with them! Of course he had to side with them; his mother was being difficult. "You are my son! You have to listen to me! They are just outsiders who want to use you."

"They want to use me?" Syaoran laughed, unable to believe his ears. "Are you kidding me? They have been nothing but very supportive of me being together with Sakura! They treated me as a human being who is capable of feeling. What about you? I'm just your little puppet whom you use to bring our family to greater heights! I'm not a freaking puppet! I'm not _your_ freaking puppet!"

"When have I treated you like a puppet?" Yelan countered, folding her arms in front of her in disapproval. "I've given everything you want!"

Syaoran snorted. "That is in exchange for you controlling me, telling me what I should do and should not do. Besides, you were never around."

"I can see that they have corrupted your mind," Yelan commented, glaring at Sakura. "You never talked to me like this."

"Don't bring them into this," Syaoran warned. "This is just between the two of us."

Yelan shook her head. "I'm getting weary of all the long talks. Let's get straight to the point. I want you to leave that girl."

Sakura gasped behind Syaoran and felt him stiffen in response to his mother's demand. She should have known that Yelan would make Syaoran leave her and accept the engagement and then marriage to a selected candidate.

"There's no way that I'm leaving her," Syaoran grounded out, angered at his mother for even suggesting it. "Not a chance."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to disown you and leave you to your own devices," Yelan smirked, as if daring Syaoran to challenge her.

Syaoran reached up to remove the Royal pin from his collar—the prestigious symbol of the Royalty of Royal High School—and flung the small pin in front of Yelan's feet, much to her surprise. It must be of high importance because Yelan paled immediately, looking at the fallen pin in horror.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, her gaze flicking to Syaoran's. Her face paled when she read his expression.

"I don't care what you do," he said, pulling me towards to door and ushering everyone out. "I'll live even without the name of the Royalty backing me up."

"Wait, I have something to say," Sonomi interrupted, pushing past Syaoran and made her way towards Yelan. "All of you please wait outside while I have a little chat with my old friend."

Shocked, Sakura could only stare from the corridor outside as the door closed slowly. She turned to her father for clarification. "Aunt Sonomi knows Li-san?"

"It's a long story. A very long story…"

* * *

**I still can't believe I reached over 30 chapters and the whole story is now over 70k words, almost the length of a young adult novel! *dance happily* I'm over the moon now! Hehe. Probably another chapter or two before Be My Valentine ends... *sulks in a corner suddenly* I'll be editing the whole story after I have completed it and will probably be converting it into a file for easy reading. I'll be asking if anyone wants a copy when it's ready on my facebook so be sure to join my facebook page at facebook dot com / sakuraakamichelle without spaces and change the dot. So... who's excited for the next chapter? I know I am! :D Thanks for reading, as always, and for all your support throughout all the years. Thank you! *bows***


	34. Chapter 34

**Many thanks to readers who took time to read my stories and especially to those who left lovely reviews: Deme.P, ChannelForsk, lhaine07, Jinnxe ForeverKuran Kinomoto, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, Fashion Fairy 26, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, lolgreeness, Guest, Khimae, NollasBlack, konan248, Kimiko17, redeyes143, Guest, anime lover 160 and kira07! Thank you so much for making my day! *hugs***

**In the last chapter, Syaoran boldly announced his engagement and made his stand clear to Yelan. Sonomi came into the picture to help our beloved couple.**

* * *

**Be My Valentine**

**Chapter 34**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

"They have been talking for quite some time, haven't they?" Sakura asked. She was leaning against Syaoran and getting a little restless from the wait. She ignored the glare that was fired at her from her annoying brother.

Syaoran pulled Sakura closer by her waist, a deliberate action to irk Touya. He almost grinned at the reaction he received. Both siblings were fun to tease. He chuckled slightly from that thought alone.

"It's only been about ten minutes," Eriol answered, shifting himself closer to Tomoyo. That two couldn't be apart from each other for more than a minute. Seriously, Sakura could envision the two of them together everywhere they went and then with some little kinds hanging around them. Wow! How did she even manage to think that far for Tomoyo? Tomoyo was frowning at her and she gulped. _Was I staring at her?_

"I don't like the look you are giving us," she said, her frown deepening.

"I'm not even doing anything!"

"Your mind is ticking," Tomoyo countered. "And I don't think I like what it is from the way you are looking at us."

"So it is _"us"_ now huh?" Sakura teased, her eyes lighting up in mischievousness.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I can't believe you can joke in such a situation."

Sakura sobered immediately and hung her head. _So much for trying to escape the brutal reality…_ "It isn't fair that you can tease me while I can't!" Sakura muttered and stuck a tongue out at her cousin. Syaoran chuckled beside her, causing her to blush because he caught her in her childish mode.

"The two of them are just shy," he said, eyeing both Tomoyo and Eriol. "Just leave them be until much later. You can tease them mercilessly when the time is right."

"Yeah, right," Eriol scoffed. "We'll make sure we return it tenfold."

"You'll have to get past me before you can tease Sakura," Syaoran warned menacingly. "And you know that I won't yield."

"As if I can forget," Eriol drawled and turned to Tomoyo. "Remember I got punched for saving Sakura-san? I don't think I'll want a repeat of that."

"Then don't," Tomoyo said, her eyes twinkling. "If we don't tease them, they won't tease us!"

"Sounds like the perfect plan."

"Don't count on it," Sakura said, wriggling a finger at them playfully before putting both hands on her hips. "I'll still tease whenever I can!"

The door opened suddenly, stunning them into temporary silence. All eyes swirled to the door immediately and Sonomi noted with interest that all of them were looking at her anxiously. She suppressed her smile, planning how to break the news to them, especially to Sakura and Syaoran.

"No cat fight?" Eriol whispered his question to Tomoyo, who smacked him on the shoulder in response.

Sonomi remained silent as she stared at the group in the hallway. Sakura paled, automatically thinking of the worst. She stumbled forward. "Aunt Sonomi… Is… Is everything all right?"

Tomoyo pressed forward as well, eager to hear the news from her mother. Her own eyes were filled with worry for her cousin and she hoped that whatever her mother was going to say, it had better be good news.

Sonomi did not reply. She only glanced at Fujitaka and it was as if the two of them were communicating silently through their eyes. Sakura suddenly wondered when their relationship had progressed from a little like enemy to close friends within the span of a few hours. She still recalled seeing the two of them quarreling in the busy ballroom earlier. _Adults are weird…_

"Everything is fine," Sonomi announced after what seemed like hours later. Sakura let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding on and sagged into Syaoran's embrace. Sonomi wouldn't lie to her, especially not about something she knew was important to her. "She wants to speak to the two of you."

Sakura started. "She wants to talk to _us_?"

Sonomi nodded her head and a small smile crept into her face. "Yes, it seems like she has something to say to the both of you. Don't worry, she won't bite now."

Sakura cringed at the memory of Yelan cutting her off whenever she tried to talk in her presence. It wasn't a pleasant experience to be looked down upon by others. She tilted her head to look at Syaoran and he tightened his arms around her waist in response, silently giving her encouragement. "She can't do anything to you anymore," Syaoran murmured into her ears. Her cheeks warmed at his public affectionate display. She knew Touya must be glaring at him at the moment.

"I fear I'm getting diabetics from looking at them," Eriol commented wryly and Tomoyo giggled in response.

Syaoran shot a glare at him and Eriol sobered immediately, feigning interest in the elegant ceiling lamp above him. Sonomi shook her head, grinning openly at them. "Go on," she prompted the two of them, who went in immediately.

"Is everything really fine?" Fujitaka asked worriedly.

Sonomi nodded her head. "Of course it is! Who do you think I am? Although I must say I'm pretty surprised that Yelan didn't know about it. No wonder she was feeling that way."

"She didn't know _what_?" Touya asked confused.

Sakura twisted her hands in front of her and tried not to let her panic overtake her. Her mind kept repeating the same question: _What did Yelan want to talk about?_ She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously while she waited for someone, anyone, to break the terse silence. At least then she would have no time to think about anything else and worry herself endlessly.

Yelan was standing by the window, looking out into the night scene and didn't make any eye contact with them since they stepped into the room. Syaoran was tense beside her. She could feel it in the way he was standing, poised to attack in dangerous situation.

"I think something is wrong," Sakura whispered to Syaoran when she couldn't stand it anymore. If Yelan heard her, her stance didn't show at all. It was as if she wasn't aware that they were in the same room as her. Syaoran arched a brow at Sakura. "I mean… She always tried to threaten me or something whenever she sees me but she's all quiet now. Something must be wrong."

Syaoran shrugged. "Perhaps you are right. I haven't been around my mother that long to be able to guess what she was thinking."

Sakura dwelled on Syaoran's words and realized with a pang that he seriously didn't know much about his own mother. She had known that Yelan wasn't around him a lot since they were both in different countries. Moreover, she didn't know what the reason was for that separation. All she knew was that Yelan was here and it was the only chance for them to ever reconcile, if they wanted to. It must have felt bad to have a family and yet didn't know how to communicate properly with them. Sakura thought of her own mother and happy thoughts began to fill her entire being. That should be the way for every family! Family meant being happy together.

"Ask her?" Sakura urged.

"Ask her what?"

"Ask her what is bothering her?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Syaoran asked, astonished by Sakura's question. "Why should I do that?"

"Because she's your mother—your one and _only_ mother. Even though she's bad to mean doesn't mean that you should behave in the same way towards her."

"There's no way that I'm going to do that," Syaoran said. "Just think of how she treated you."

Sakura sighed. She didn't know Syaoran would be this stubborn. Or was it his pride that prevented him from taking the first step forward? "Syaoran…"

"There is a reason why I didn't want to come back to Japan," Yelan interrupted suddenly, still staring out of the window. The two of them stopped bickering and turned to watch the matriarch. "I didn't want to come back and relive all the bad memories of my times in Royal High School."

"Bad memories?" Sakura asked softly, afraid that Yelan might stop explaining.

"Yes, bad memories." She had a glazed expression on her face. "That engagement tore the three of us apart. The engagement between my husband and…" Yelan turned to face Sakura. "Nadeshiko."

Sakura was still reeling from shock when Eriol sent them home as Syaoran had to entertain the guests at the ballroom. Engagement? Syaoran's father? Sakura's mother? It didn't make any sense to Sakura. It was as if Yelan was just telling them a story—a ridiculously twisted story. How could the both of them be engaged? Did Fujitaka know? Sakura felt burdened by the questions spinning in her head. She couldn't bring up the question during the journey home since there were others around.

Touya steered Sakura into the house, frowning at Syaoran's suit jacket that she was wearing. This was not the time to lecture her about wearing other guys' clothes. He needed to know what happened in that hotel room. "Hey, what did that woman tell—" Fujitaka shot out a hand to clasp his shoulder, stopping his question midway. His father shook his head at him and he understood immediately. He shouldn't be pressing her at the moment. Touya sighed and continued to lead Sakura into their house.

Sakura stopped at the foot of the staircase, turning to look at Fujitaka. "Otou-san… Did you know about Okaa-san's engagement?"

There was a pause before Fujitaka sighed and replied, "I knew about it."

"Then…"

"There wasn't much that we can do. Your grandfather wouldn't break it off no matter what your mother said," Fujitaka explained. "And we ran away. Just the two of us and nobody found out."

"Until I went to school and befriended Tomoyo-chan."

"That's right."

"So why did you and Aunt Sonomi quarrel about earlier?"

Fujitaka gave a little laugh. "About the same thing that I've just told you."

Sakura glanced at Touya and realized that he looked as surprised as she was. "I still don't understand why Syaoran's mother was angry."

"What did she tell you?" Fujitaka asked the question that Touya wanted to put to Sakura. He pulled Sakura over to the living room couch so that they could talk more comfortably rather than remain standing throughout the whole conversation. Who knew how long it would take.

Sakura sank into the couch gratefully, pulling the lapels of the jacket closer and felt a little calmer at the thought of Syaoran. She almost giggled when she recalled the way he was arguing over her dress when they were about to leave his hotel room to go back to the ballroom. The jacket never left her shoulders after that. She gave Fujitaka a shrug. "Nothing much except that Syaoran's father and okaa-san were engaged. But she did marry Syaoran's father in the end, so I still don't understand what she was angry about."

Fujitaka leaned back against the sofa, his arms folded across his chest. "Perhaps it's because we ran away without contacting her. The three of them were really close in the past. When Nadeshiko found out that she was engaged to Yelan's crush, she panicked immediately and came to me for help."

"So you took the easy way out?" Touya burst out, incredulous. "The two of you just ran away? I can't believe this!"

A look of regret crossed Fujitaka's face. "It couldn't be helped. It wasn't an easy decision for us too since it meant Nadeshiko had to leave everything behind."

"That was extreme," Sakura agreed, giving her father a small smile of encouragement. "But okaa-san was happy. She was smiling in all the pictures in the house," she added with a grin, trying to convince Touya not to be so upset.

Touya sighed. "I suppose that is true. So, what's going to happen from now onwards? That woman is still angry isn't she?"

Sakura's eyes lit up in a mischievous glint. "Are you worried about me?"

"What? Of course not!" Touya sputtered, turning red. "I'm going to bed."

Sakura giggled as she watched her brother trudge upstairs. She caught Fujitaka staring at her and looked back at him quizzically. "What's wrong?"

"Are you all right? You seem pretty tired," he said.

"Just some information overload. Okaa-san's engagement to Syaoran's father freaked me out a little but I'm recovering from it I guess. I'll be fine in the morning," she told him. She groaned when she thought of what would most probably happen in the morning. "I don't feel like stepping out of the house tomorrow."

"Then don't. It's Sunday anyway and the paparazzi won't be able to get to you."

Sakura shook her head. "I have something I need to settle tomorrow. I'm not sure whether I should look forward to it or dread it."

"If it is a chance for you, no matter how small, look forward to it," Fujitaka advised with a smile.

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**Yay for Chapter 34! One more chapter and that's it for BMV! Anyone feeling sad about it? And as I've mentioned in my previous chapter, I'm planning to convert this story into an ebook so if you are interested in it, do join my facebook page at facebook dot com / sakuraakamichelle to know when it is ready. In addition, I've just found a job so I'll be pretty busy from August onwards. Will probably be taking a short writing break. I'll post my status on facebook as well so you can be kept informed of them. **

**Thanks again for reading Be My Valentine! *hugs***


	35. Epilogue

This is it! The last chapter for Be My Valentine! First and foremost, please let me apologize for not replying to your reviews! I've started working and it's getting a little tough to be up to date. T_T Please be rest assured that I have read each and every review! Thank you so much for leaving them!

So here goes...

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**Be My Valentine**

**Epilogue**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

Sakura sighed, the sound seeming to echo within the empty room that served as the mansion's library. She sat by the antique mahogany desk stared at the bookshelves lining around the perimeter of the room and wondered how many of her room she could fill—probably around six. That realization alone caused her to look around the library in awe.

Wei had been shocked to see her standing by the gates, requesting entrance to the Li mansion. He looked pretty worried when he came out personally to send her into the house. His first words were: "_Is something wrong?"_ Clearly, he had not been expecting her and she knew that if she were anyone else, she would have been sent away. There was no doubt on this issue and she was really glad to have known the butler. Or else, she really wondered how long she had to stand at the gates like an idiot. She suddenly wondered if it was part of Yelan's plan to humiliate her further. However, she didn't know what to expect after Sonomi had a talk with Yelan at the hotel room. She was a little skeptical when Yelan invited her to the Li mansion but she was here after all and feeling a little anxious about what would happen later on.

There was a knock on the door and it creaked open a second later. Sakura just stared wide-eyed at the figure entering the room with a tray balanced in his hands. She relaxed when she saw it was only Wei, who had kindly brought her some refreshments while she waited the matriarch to join her in the library.

"I hope these suits your appetite," Wei said as he gently laid the tray on the table. "The cookies are freshly baked by our pastry chef and it's still warm."

"They look good," Sakura said with a smile, admiring the display of cookies in front of her. She picked up a small piece of the fragrant chocolate chip cookie and took a small bit. "It's really delicious!"

Wei laughed. "I'll be sure to let the pastry chef know of your feedback. He'll definitely be happy to hear that." Sakura nodded in agreement and reached out to pour herself a cup of what smelled like tea from the pot but Wei beat her to it. "Here you go. I'll leave for now. Li-sama should be with you in a few minutes."

"Thanks for bring these. I really appreciate it." Sakura gave Wei a warm smile of gratitude. "It helps to calm my nerves."

"Knowing Li-sama, I believe this meeting will turn out to be in your favour." Sakura arched a brow at the statement, doubt filling her face. Wei chuckled at the expression. "Don't worry. Li-sama rarely invites people over to her house. Since she invited you personally, it should be good news to you."

"I hope so."

Wei made a move to the door and whispered a good luck to Sakura before he stepped out. Sakura smiled despite her crumbling nerves. Somehow, Wei reminded Sakura so much of Fujitaka. Both men were so fatherly towards her. Before she had a chance to grab another piece of cookie, she heard footsteps pounded outside the room and it got gradually louder until the door to the library crashed open.

"Sakura!" Syaoran burst into the library, his eyes wide and wild. He froze in the middle of the room when he spotted Sakura at the table, staring at him curiously and reigning in her laughter. Did he just think she was in some kind of danger?

"Good morning," Sakura greeted with a grin at his ruffled appearance. He was in a pair of jeans that seemed to hug snugly to his waist and the green tee he was wearing was turned inside out. "Did you just… wake up?"

Syaoran looked down at his own attire self-consciously and chuckled slightly when he realized he how he was wearing his shirt. He proceeded to shrug out of it, turning out the shirt and paused when he heard Sakura's sharp intake of breath.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, still holding his shirt in his hands as he turned to look at Sakura. He noted with interest that her face was turning red.

"Nothing!" she replied, albeit a little breathlessly. She gulped. "Um… Maybe you should… wear your shirt? Before your mother comes?"

Syaoran smirked. "Why? Are you worried about something?"

"Should I be?" Sakura asked, jerking her gaze off Syaoran's frame. Her eyes widened further when Syaoran stepped closer to her. "Wait. What are you doing?"

"What do you think _I'm_ doing?"

Sakura fidgeted in her seat, her eyes looking everywhere but at him. "I… don't know. I'm not you." She jumped in her seat when his hands shot out onto the edge of the table, effectively trapping her within his arms. Her heart literally stopped when he leaned closer to her. If Sakura were to lean a few centimeters forward, she would be kissing him. Should she?

A cough sounded behind Syaoran and startled the two of them, who jumped apart hastily. Sakura was aghast when she saw Yelan standing in the room, eyeing them quizzically. The matriarch said nothing at all for long moments before a small smile spread across her face. She shook her head at the two of them before motioning them to have a seat. Sakura glared a little at Syaoran before resuming in her seat, turning around so that she was facing the table. Yelan glided over to the arm chair behind the table and folded her hands on the smooth tabletop.

"Thank you for inviting me over," Sakura said politely. She winced when her voice sounded a little shaky and blamed in on Syaoran for making her feel disoriented. She had little time to prepare herself mentally for the meeting with his mother.

"I'm glad you came over," Yelan replied.

Syaoran blinked in surprise. Did he mother just talked to Sakura nicely? He had never thought that such a day would come! "And why wasn't I informed of this? If I didn't pass by Wei earlier, I wouldn't have known about this!"

"Watch your tone, young man," Yelan admonished with a frown before turning to smile at Sakura. Sakura arched her brow at the sudden change in the attitude towards her but was wise not to mention it. "How long have your known Syaoran?"

Sakura fidgeted slightly, wondering why Yelan asked that question. It was so random! "Um… A couple of months?" she replied uncertainly, sneaking a glance over at Syaoran and saw him nod his head absent-mindedly. "Wait… You asked me to come over just to ask me this question?"

Yelan burst out laughing. "You are just like your mother! Witty and funny!"

Sakura bit her lips, struggling not to ask any more questions if Yelan was already laughing at her first one. Syaoran leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms. "I hope you didn't ask her here just to laugh at everything she said."

"What made you think of that?"

"Well… You're acting kind of weird for a start," Syaoran answered, scratching his chin. "And nicer..."

"I wasn't being mean to her on purpose, if that is what you are asking," Yelan replied, leaning forward and stared at her son. "That's because of a big understanding and now that it is officially over, I'd like to have a chat with you."

"Misunderstanding? Was it because of the engagement?" Sakura asked. "My mother didn't want that engagement!"

Yelan sighed. "I know. It was what she did that made me angry. The three of us were best of friends: Me, Nadeshiko and Sonomi. We were inseparable then. Nadeshiko knew I fancied Syaoran's father so she was really scared when she found out that she was engaged to him. She feared that I would think the worst of her. She ended up eloping with your father instead and never even bothered to contact me first."

"So you are angry because my mother vanished without contacting you?"

"We were so close to one another and she didn't even make it a point to discuss the matter with me. I've waited for her to come back to us for so many years but she didn't. I thought she would have come back for my wedding but she didn't. What I didn't know was that she's getting sick…"

An image of her mother on her deathbed flashed across her mind and she flinched immediately. Syaoran noticed this and reached over to grab one of her hands in his, hoping it would calm her down. It actually worked. "Yes… My mother was getting weaker after onii-chan was born. That's what my father told me. And when she had me… It just got worse."

Yelan nodded, staring at the table, lost in thoughts. "And I didn't know about it. I have been blaming her all these while."

"That's why you were so angry when you found out she's my mother?"

"I'm really sorry about it," Yelan said, dipping her head. "I took my anger for Nadeshiko on you. It's so unfair to you."

Sakura bit her lips, wondering if she should point out to Yelan that she was already angry with her for being with Syaoran before she knew her relationship with Nadeshiko. "So… You approve of us being together then?"

Yelan sighed. "I've given it much thought. It seems like there's nothing I can do for now. I wouldn't want to lose a son and besides, Nadeshiko and I made a promise a long time ago, one that involves joining our two families together in the future. I thought it could finally be fulfilled since you are here."

"How come I wasn't aware of such a promise?" Syaoran asked, suddenly interested in their conversation. "And you were so eager to have me and Meiling engaged?"

"I don't have to explain my decisions to you," Yelan scolded. "You only need to know that I have your best interests in heart."

Syaoran snorted. "Yeah right."

"Syaoran!" Sakura gasped, horrified by his rudeness.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it by now already." Yelan shook her head. "He's just like his father." There was a minute of silence where no one knew what to say next. Yelan cleared her throat loudly and leaned folded her arms on the table. "Let's get to the serious topic. It won't be easy being part of the Li family. I've gone a long way to get accepted by the rest of the family and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Are you mentally prepared?"

"Yes! Yes, I am!"

"The Li family will be assessing you as a suitable candidate for Syaoran. It's going to get even tougher now."

"I'll protect her," Syaoran interjected, lacing his fingers with Sakura's and looking into her eyes. "I'll make sure you'll get through whatever tests the crazy family is going to have."

"I'm sure both of you will do great, giving how you have been holding up so well until now," Yelan said with a wry smile. "With that, we'll end out little discussion for today. I have an important meeting to attend."

Sakura stood up and bowed to Yelan respectfully and earned a warm smile from her. When Syaoran didn't do the same thing, Sakura pinched him discreetly. Syaoran turned to glare at her a little before doing the same grumpily. Yelan snickered. Sakura would be good for him.

Wei was standing outside the library with a worried expression on his face. He appeared to be pacing outside the room for quite a while. He straightened and smiled sheepishly when he was caught by Yelan.

"Is everything all right?" he asked and Yelan knew he was worried about the couple that remained in the room.

"She'll do," Yelan nodded and looked pointedly at the closed door. A second later, a loud cheer erupted from within the room and the grin on Wei's face turned even wider.

_One year later_

"I can't believe I'm attending this event again," Touya grumbled as he sipped his glass of wine, twirling his cup as he did so. He gave Eriol a bored look. "I don't even like that guy."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes at him across the table. "You don't have to like him. After all, you won't be the one living with him in the future."

Touya snorted. "I don't even want to go near him. I feel like throttling him whenever I see his face."

"That's the reason we try not to have the two of you in the same room all these while," Yukito explained patiently. Tomoyo and Eriol nodded their heads in agreement.

"That's for preventing a bloodshed. I doubt Sakura would enjoy that," Touya remarked wryly.

"Sakura-chan would like it very much if you would just keep your opinions to yourself." The voice came from behind Touya and he whirled around so fast that he almost spilled his drink.

Touya arched a brow at his sister all dressed up in green silk that brought out the sparkle in her emerald eyes. "So you finally came to join us?"

Sakura frowned, tugging Syaoran closer to her and inevitably pulled him closer to Touya. He glared at the younger man in response. "What are you saying? It was tiring trying to socialize with the _ton_. Goodness me, I feel like I'm in some kind of historical ball!"

"Nah, those are just too fanciful for you," Touya said and waved her remarks away dismissively.

"What did you say?" Sakura hissed.

Syaoran chuckled and tightened his hold on Sakura's waist before she jumped onto her brother and started strangling him. "As much as I wish to see the sibling fight, I'm afraid I have to stop it before it actually happens," he said, eyeing the paparazzi around them. They were still snapping pictures at them after their appearance on the stage a while ago.

"Oh. Of course. It's so unladylike to be killing someone," Sakura commented and snuggled into Syaoran's embrace.

Tomoyo raised her champagne into the air and beamed at Sakura. "Congratulations on your official engagement, Sakura-chan, Li-kun."

Syaoran dipped his head in response, a grin spreading across his face. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Tomoyo-chan… Thank you so much for supporting us all the way."

"It was a long journey indeed," Eriol remarked.

"At least I'm accepted by the rest of the Li family," Sakura said, grinning happily. Then she skipped lightly over to where Tomoyo was and showed her the ring on her finger. Both ladies then admired the diamond ring on one hand and the Royal ring on the other hand. "Actually, Syaoran proposed just now behind the stage and… I accepted it!"

"You _what_?" Touya shouted, unable to believe his ears.

"I said I accepted Syaoran's proposal," Sakura repeated. "We are already planning the ceremony."

"Oh my gosh!" Tomoyo squealed and jumped up excitedly. "That is good news!"

"Oh my gosh!" Touya roared. He jumped too and immediately launched himself at Syaoran. Not even Eriol, who was just sitting beside Touya, could stop him.

Of course, that was just the picture that was on the front page of the newspaper the next day.

**- The End -**

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***teary eyes***

**How do you find the epilogue? I must admit it was difficult for me to write because I wanted it to be near perfect but it ended up quite normal to me. *sobs* I intend to make Be My Valentine into an ebook after editing the series as a whole and patching up some loopholes here and there. Do keep a look out at my facebook page for more updates on this!**

**Thank you so much for following Be My Valentine till the very end. I know it has taken so looooongggg but it's finally completed!  
*bows* Thanks for all your support throughout these years. Without you, I don't think I'll ever finish this. So, thank you again!**

**- Sakura aka Michelle, signing out.**


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